unearth
Americanverb (used with object)
-
unearths,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unearthed,
past participle, past
-
unearthing
present participle
-
to dig or get out of the earth; dig up.
-
to uncover or bring to light by search, inquiry, etc..
The lawyer unearthed new evidence.
verb
-
to dig up out of the earth
-
to reveal or discover, esp by exhaustive searching
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unearthsimple
-
unearthssimple
-
have unearthedperfect
-
has unearthedperfect
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am unearthingprogressive
-
are unearthingprogressive
-
is unearthingprogressive
-
have been unearthingperfect progressive
-
has been unearthingperfect progressive
Past
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unearthedsimple
-
had unearthedperfect
-
was unearthingprogressive
-
were unearthingprogressive
-
had been unearthingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unearth
First recorded in 1400–50, unearth is from the late Middle English word unerthen. See un- 2, earth
Explanation
To unearth something is to dig it up. You could unearth a coffin, or even a tee shirt buried in the bottom of a drawer. To put something in the earth is to bury it, to unearth it is to take it back out. When digging in the yard you’ll probably unearth creepy-crawlies and, with luck, a lost treasure will surface. To bring anything hidden “into the light” is to unearth it. You can unearth the secret affairs of your lover, you can unearth the lies of a corrupt government, and you may even unearth a child’s secret candy stash from under the mattress.
Vocabulary lists containing unearth
Holes
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"The End and the Beginning," Vocabulary from the poem
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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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.
See Examples For:
“NAZA” eschews probing for guilty feelings, though, because the point is to unearth a process of obliteration: how it works and what it looks like as implemented by the willing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Some customers were still coming by, hoping to unearth a rare gem amid the clothes, records, dishes and other items.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Once we had those clues, we were able to search online archives of leaked computer data and unearth a much larger trove of information on the operation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
You find yourself opening up the freezer, only to unearth an unopened box of frozen pizza.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
I’ll have to unearth my bulky black coat and my boots.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Exactly how Jamestown operates is a closely guarded secret, as it unearths gems where no one else is looking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Digging deeper, however, unearths a defensive tenor to Monday’s rally, which was paced by megacap tech, healthcare, and industrial stocks that was paired with a big bid for U.S.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
Rory McIlroy unearths a buried ball as he tries to play himself out of trouble on the 11th hole at The Open.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
The book unearths the contested history of mobility.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2025
From somewhere in the depths of the car our mother unearths a primus stove, which she sets up on the kitchen floor, since there is no table.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The remarkable discovery, described in 2024 in the journal Scientific Reports, came from fossils unearthed in Gujarat, western India.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
So he would cruise the local fields with Northeast scout Matt Hyde in search of gems yet to be unearthed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Record hoard of Roman coins unearthed in Germany.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Ronika’s resentment toward Blair, who has avoided condemning Haywood in public, seethes monotonously until her own backstory is finally unearthed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
“When I hear a sound like that, I come running, because that is the sound of a champion,” he said, smiling like a man who had just unearthed a hidden treasure.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Yet whether in print or online, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of unearthing an absolute bargain.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Copper miners, Cryer adds, mostly know where the big reserves are concentrated, and unearthing lots of surprisingly large deposits is unlikely now.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
The otherworldly beasts and enigmatic masks of Sanxingdui still enthrall China, decades after the unearthing of ceremonial pits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The model’s greatest success was unearthing Claudio Braga, a Portuguese forward who was plying his trade in the Norwegian second division.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
We go down through the layers, unearthing discoveries: my high school pictures, my lipsticked mouth unsmiling, somebody’s hair in an envelope, a single knitted baby sock.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
