ascertain
Americanverb (used with object)
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to find out definitely; learn with certainty or assurance; determine.
to ascertain the facts.
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Archaic. to make certain, clear, or definitely known.
verb
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to determine or discover definitely
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archaic to make certain
Usage
What are other ways to say ascertain?
To ascertain something is to determine it or learn it with certainty or assurance. How is ascertain different from the learn, discover, and detect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- ascertainable adjective
- ascertainably adverb
- ascertainer noun
- ascertainment noun
- nonascertainable adjective
- nonascertainableness noun
- nonascertainably adverb
- nonascertainment noun
- preascertain verb (used with object)
- preascertainment noun
- unascertainable adjective
- unascertainably adverb
- unascertained adjective
- well-ascertained adjective
Etymology
Origin of ascertain
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of acertain, assertain, from Middle French acertain-, stem of acertener “to make certain”; equivalent to a- 5 + certain
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.
Precise amounts of the precious metals brought on board the San José for what turned out to be its final voyage are impossible to ascertain.
Not that that would be a tough thing to ascertain in the first place, given Poehler’s consummate preparation.
From Salon
In order to ascertain a user's age, the companies can use government-issued identity documents, face or voice recognition or analyse online behaviour to estimate a person's age.
From BBC
The exact number of crew members could not be ascertained but the source added it could be between six and eight people.
From BBC
"It is crucial to ascertain whether similar drivers of hesitancy" affect routine vaccinations for other contagious diseases such as measles or the flu, they wrote in a separate commentary in The Lancet.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
