ascertained

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.

The exact number of crew members could not be ascertained but the source added it could be between six and eight people.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

We drove alongside some of the vehicles, peered in windows, and ascertained it was nothing.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2025

Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

Both Prieur and Mafart had been involved in planning the operation back in Paris—it was Prieur who had first ascertained the ship’s itinerary by calling Lloyd’s of London and posing as a journalist.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025

Categories, functions, and meanings have to be ascertained empirically, by running little experiments such as substituting a phrase whose category you don’t know for one you do know and seeing whether the sentence still works.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker