unearth
Americanverb (used with object)
-
unearths,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unearthed,
past participle, past
-
unearthing
present participle
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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:
Most art fairs aim to unearth talent from the vast number of artists toiling in obscurity today, but Independent 20th Century looks to the past in its search for creative gems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Detectives in Santa Barbara County have reopened an unsolved homicide from 1988, hoping new focus on the cold case could help unearth new leads in the investigation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 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
You find yourself opening up the freezer, only to unearth an unopened box of frozen pizza.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
They would unearth Lincoln and his freeing of the slaves.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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
Mr. O’Brien unearths the fact that Mr. Bird’s presence with the industrial team was so unremarkable that the local paper routinely misspelled his name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
A quick list of new arrivals among senior staff at the Old Trafford club unearths 19 names.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 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
Vietnam held funeral rites for more than 700 of its war dead on Wednesday, unearthed in a major push to identify those missing from decades of conflict with France and the United States.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
As for the newly unearthed song snippet of John’s, “Little Girl” will intrigue only the most dedicated appreciators of Beatles flotsam.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
A pair of battered, hobnailed boots and a newspaper cutting dating back nearly 140 years are among a trove of everyday objects unearthed during restoration work at Buckingham Palace.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The poor man of Sheney dug in the moraines of Tuerresh and unearthed where Meshe pointed a great hoard of ancient jewels, and at sight of it he shouted aloud for joy.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
He had helped revive the Atlanta Falcons, led the Rams to the Super Bowl, and developed a knack for unearthing gems in the NFL draft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
With a keen eye for unearthing talent, Mick guided Tyson Fury and Carl Froch from their debuts to their first world titles.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
For Patterson, getting the best out of his defenders never proved to be a problem at TCU, where he was known for unearthing underrated prospects on the defensive end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
The unearthing in 2018 of a charcoal inscription at Pompeii featuring a date in October has been grist to the mill of those who seek to push the eruption beyond August.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
But archaeologists have had moderate success in unearthing other ancient instruments in all corners of the globe.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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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.
