ascertain
verb (used with object)
to find out definitely; learn with certainty or assurance; determine.
ascertained
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past participleof ascertain.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof ascertain.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
ascertainverb (used with object)to find out definitely; learn with certainty or assurance; determine.
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.
A third person whose injuries had yet to be ascertained was in the process of being brought to hospital.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Mr Lawson said the pioneering work had even ascertained where the people, who were buried between the 12th Century and 1560, were born.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2025
She’s ascertained that she’s not a child and not an adult; not the sick little girl named Marcy who she used to be, nor her maker’s favorite.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2025
It must be ascertained that they had been given orders not to fire until our column was within fair range of their weapons.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
