verb
discern
dih-SURN
verb
1
To notice or perceive something, especially something not immediately obvious.
"It was hard to discern any pattern in the data."
"She could just discern a figure standing in the fog."
2
To recognize the difference between two things.
"He struggled to discern fact from rumor."
How to Use Discern
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo notice or work out something subtle, or to tell two things apart.
Common pairings
discern a pattern
discern the difference
Word Forms
discerned past tense, discerns singular
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Etymology
From Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere ("to separate, distinguish"), from dis- ("apart") + cernere ("to distinguish").