Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Here and elsewhere, Ms. Chan brings artists and their audience to life in a few telling lines, and discerns music-sharing motivations in brushstrokes, embroidery and regalia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

They follow her around the bend and behind the castle, where we see a kitchen set up, and everyone immediately discerns there will be a cook-off.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2023

Through his meditations on William Blake’s “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” Nemo discerns that liberation can only be attained through creation.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 16, 2023

But in reading her dark “The Coming of Age,” he discerns an admittedly hidden note of optimism, resulting in his list of “Top Ten Ways to Grow Old.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2020

There are three kinds of intelligence: one understands on its own; the second discerns what others understand; and the third neither understands by itself nor through others.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli