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:
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
L.A. attorney Brian Claypool, who handles wrongful death litigation, said the autopsy and toxicology results “will be crucial in this tragic death to ascertain legal liability.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
It would take time, however, to determine who they were, as the commission will need to ascertain whether the identity tags and Kuban shield actually belong to the two soldiers found.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“He was nearby on the scene there, and we were working trying to ascertain his identity and the motivations behind that,” Hicks said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
He had, since the whipping, seemed in a perpetual irritation, glowering around the rooms, leaving company often, saying he wished to ascertain whether matter still subsisted in his chamber.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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
Since the heart can thus wall out the ultimate irrationality which the head ascertains, the erection of its procedure into a systematized method would be a philosophic achievement of first-rate importance.
From The Will to Believe : and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James
The researchers also assessed severity of CTE and found a connection between high grade CTE and dementia before death, with the latter ascertained by the players' medical notes and interviews with family members.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 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
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
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
But no; they ascertained that the smell was coming from their clothes.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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
Vocabulary lists containing ascertain
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The Bill of Rights
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