ascertain

verb

as·​cer·​tain ˌa-sər-ˈtān How to pronounce ascertain (audio)
ascertained; ascertaining; ascertains

transitive verb

1
: to find out or learn with certainty
ascertain the truth
trying to ascertain the cause of the fire
information that can be easily ascertained on the Internet
2
archaic : to make certain, exact, or precise
ascertainable adjective
ascertainment noun
Choose the Right Synonym for ascertain

discover, ascertain, determine, unearth, learn mean to find out what one did not previously know.

discover may apply to something requiring exploration or investigation or to a chance encounter.

discovered the source of the river

ascertain implies effort to find the facts or the truth proceeding from awareness of ignorance or uncertainty.

attempts to ascertain the population of the region

determine emphasizes the intent to establish the facts definitely or precisely.

unable to determine the origin of the word

unearth implies bringing to light something forgotten or hidden.

unearth old records

learn may imply acquiring knowledge with little effort or conscious intention (as by simply being told) or it may imply study and practice.

I learned her name only today
learning Greek

Examples of ascertain in a Sentence

We look at digital media—images, audio and video—and we try to ascertain whether or not they've been manipulated. We use mathematical and computational techniques to detect alterations in them. Claudia Dreifus, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2007
Currently, an official trying to ascertain road damage in the aftermath of an earthquake might have to keep one eye on the TV news while listening to both radio traffic reports and the police scanner. Since most of these data are available in digital form, the software could take them all in, process them and present a report outlining the best evacuation routes. Kevin Hogan, Technology Review, April 2002
With an equation linking the money wage to prices, the degree of inflation could be ascertained. Sidney Weintraub, Modern Economic Thought, (1977) 1993
Recent Examples on the Web But that hypothetical offers a glimpse of how broadly and, indeed, recklessly Section 3 might be applied in the absence of a clear system for ascertaining who is and who is not a disqualified insurrectionist. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The initial step should be to ascertain if the issue lies with the job itself or its execution within the company. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 More efficient options include a full audit of the Federal Reserve to ascertain the full scope of the debt, liquidating surplus or redundant government lands, increasing licensing and leasing rates and a decentralization and streamlining of the administrative state to curb operating costs. Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Identity management and resolution can help ascertain whether the Robert J. Smith, Jim Smith and Bob Smith in your database are the same entity and even resolve anonymous guest interactions to the customer library. Jennifer Chase, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Although the vibe or sound cannot always be totally ascertained by the aesthetic Swift goes with for the album art (see: Midnights in all of its '70s-era fashion, but not sound), the vibe so far is very sultry, maybe a bit dark and angsty. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2024 No one can ascertain if the authorities plan cuts in programs that have become essential to them or plan tax increases on the middle class or both. Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 During his interview with Hur, the special counsel wrote that the president was confused about the timeline of events and was unable to ascertain questions about his time as vice president. Catherine Herridge, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2024 This helps the researchers understand temporal patterns in the emitted photons and to ascertain that the emitted light comes from individual sources. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ascertain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acertainen to inform, give assurance to, from Anglo-French acerteiner, from a- (from Latin ad-) + certein, certain certain

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of ascertain was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near ascertain

Cite this Entry

“Ascertain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascertain. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ascertain

verb
as·​cer·​tain ˌas-ər-ˈtān How to pronounce ascertain (audio)
: to learn with certainty : find out
could not ascertain the correct date
ascertainable adjective
ascertainment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ascertain

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