ascertain
Usage
What are other ways to say ascertain?
To ascertain is to verify facts by inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about an event. To learn is to add to one's knowledge or information: to learn a language. The verb discover is used with objective clauses as a synonym of learn in order to suggest that the new information acquired is surprising to the learner: I discovered that she had been married before. To detect implies becoming aware of something that had been obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning.
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:
Through these vessels was possible to ascertain many pieces of information.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Earlier, in a statement posted on its website, the park said its emergency response procedures had been "immediately activated" and it was "working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened".
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
US non-farm payrolls figures later Friday are in focus as traders try to ascertain the Fed's next move after last month's rate hike.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
“We are working to ascertain his identity and the motivations.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
What sorts of excuses people had used on that first morning to get the doctor and the locksmith out of the house Gregor was completely unable to ascertain.
From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
Henry plays it safe: He ascertains John is gay so shares his chapters via mail.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2022
On the other hand, logical analysis ascertains whether the premises of an argument support the conclusion.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022
“Insikt Group ascertains with high confidence that the top tools on underground forums will continue to change,” the report said.
From Fox News ● Jul. 27, 2019
“The court looks at the impact and the motivation - if it is an ethical violation, if it is an administrative violation - and then ascertains if the punishment fits the crime,” Grevemberg said.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 2, 2018
In a word the method which teacheth to folow a right order, and exactly to enumerate all the circumstances of what we seek, contains, whatsoever ascertains the rules of Arithmatick.
From A Discourse of a Method for the Well Guiding of Reason and the Discovery of Truth in the Sciences by René Descartes
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
The study suggested that the current outbreak is "larger than currently ascertained" and that its "true magnitude remains uncertain".
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
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
Early researchers' figures were, to put it mildly, informally ascertained.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The return on the S&P 500 isn’t based on picking winners or ascertaining market sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
Her petition said they are still ascertaining the assets to be identified as separate and community property.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2024
“Sourcing gold from the UAE is notoriously risky,” the report said, describing the difficulty in ascertaining the origins of the refined gold.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024
"Studying isolated enzymes is a powerful tool for ascertaining their activity and drawing conclusions about their functional role inside the plant cell," Hart explained.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2024
I’d had no way of ascertaining the quarter’s true purpose or powers.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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