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.
Officials said they are also in communication with authorities to ascertain the cause of death, obtain the complete medical record and review the circumstances surrounding the death.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
Investors, investment advisers and government agencies charged with enforcing fiduciary responsibility need reliable independent data to ascertain whether investments achieve their noneconomic goals and promised rates of return.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
Instead, the duty of a judge is to ascertain “what Congress wanted, as best we can ascertain its intent.”
From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026
“With an asset this volatile, it’s impossible to ascertain when and where the bottom lies,” says Clark Bellin, president and chief investment officer at Bellwether Wealth.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 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
Vocabulary lists containing ascertain
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The Bill of Rights
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