discover from

USAGE SUMMARY

'discover from' is not a correct phrase in written English.
You should use the phrase 'learn from' instead. For example, "I will try to learn from my mistakes."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Academia

Encyclopedias

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

What do researchers hope to discover from their work?

The New York Times

Two rooms have boxes with padlocks, whose combinations the children must discover from hidden clues.

The New York Times - Arts

I just took the novel from the shelf to discover from my bookmark that I'd reached page 55.

The Guardian - Books

"It's really important to pay attention to what mechanisms we can discover from biological systems," he said.

University of California, Berkeley

Gustave may sound like a creep but, as we discover from Zero's reminiscences, he stands for old-world decency, courage and kindness.

Independent

It has held a series of public hearings where villagers discover from official documents the discrepancies between what is due to them and what has actually been delivered.

The Economist

Jim was dispatched to Eastern Europe on a solo mission, to discover, from a contact, the identity of the traitor, and report back to Control.

The New Yorker

As I was to discover from my chat with her, and later from our perusal of her pantry, it's not as hard as you may think.

The New York Times - Magazine

After her death, her grownup twin children discover from the will that they have a brother about whom they knew nothing, and a father, still living.

The Guardian - Film

The warm and fuzzy feeling you get from buying and handling a physical object, something that you cannot simply discover from intangible digital music and game files.

The Guardian

In general, though, Gong fandom is a well-kept secret, something you'll only discover from unlikely people during late-night conversations.

The Guardian - Music

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "discover from" in formal writing. Opt for "learn from" or other more grammatically sound alternatives such as "gather from" or "ascertain from".

Common error

The error in using "discover from" often stems from confusion about the correct preposition. Remember that "discover" typically takes a direct object or is followed by "that" or "something". So replace it with "learn" (for example: learn something from someone).

Linguistic Context

The phrase "discover from" functions as a verb phrase attempting to describe the act of gaining information or knowledge from a specific source. Despite its frequent use, as seen in Ludwig, it is grammatically incorrect in standard English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

52%

Academia

19%

Wiki

9%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

4%

Science

16%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "discover from" appears frequently across diverse sources, including news, academic texts, and wikis, it is considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. As Ludwig AI states, it's more appropriate to use alternatives such as "learn from", ""gather from"", or ""ascertain from"". The phrase's primary intent is to denote the origin of knowledge, yet its non-standard nature makes it unsuitable for formal writing. To maintain grammatical correctness and clarity, opting for alternative phrases is highly recommended.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

learn from

This is the most direct and grammatically correct alternative, focusing on gaining knowledge or skill.

gather from

This implies collecting information from various sources to form an understanding.

understand from

This implies gaining a comprehension or insight from something.

ascertain from

This suggests a more formal and methodical process of finding something out.

find out from

A more informal way of saying to discover something from someone or something.

determine from

Focuses on establishing something definitively based on available information.

realize from

Describes the moment of becoming aware of something based on some source.

deduce from

This suggests reaching a conclusion based on reasoning from evidence.

infer from

Similar to deduce, but often based on less explicit evidence or hints.

glean from

Suggests obtaining information bit by bit, often from a larger or less obvious source.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "discover from"?

You can use alternatives like "learn from", ""gather from"", or ""ascertain from"" depending on the context.

Is "discover from" grammatically correct?

No, "discover from" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. It's better to use "learn from" or a similar alternative.

How to avoid using "discover from" in my writing?

When you intend to express learning something from a source, consciously replace "discover from" with alternatives like "find out from", "determine from", or simply rephrase the sentence.

What's the difference between "learn from" and "discover from"?

"Learn from" is the correct and widely accepted way to express gaining knowledge or understanding from a source. "Discover from" is considered grammatically incorrect.