ascertain
verb
as·cer·tain
ˌa-sər-ˈtān 
ascertained; ascertaining; ascertains
1
: to find out or learn with certainty
ascertain the truth
trying to ascertain the cause of the fire
information that can be easily ascertained on the Internet
2
archaic
: to make certain, exact, or precise
Synonyms
Examples of ascertain in a Sentence
We look at digital media—images, audio and video—and we try to ascertain whether or not they've been manipulated. We use mathematical and computational techniques to detect alterations in them.
—
Claudia Dreifus, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2007
Currently, an official trying to ascertain road damage in the aftermath of an earthquake might have to keep one eye on the TV news while listening to both radio traffic reports and the police scanner. Since most of these data are available in digital form, the software could take them all in, process them and present a report outlining the best evacuation routes.
—Kevin Hogan, Technology Review, April 2002
With an equation linking the money wage to prices, the degree of inflation could be ascertained.
—Sidney Weintraub, Modern Economic Thought, (1977) 1993
Claudia Dreifus, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2007
Currently, an official trying to ascertain road damage in the aftermath of an earthquake might have to keep one eye on the TV news while listening to both radio traffic reports and the police scanner. Since most of these data are available in digital form, the software could take them all in, process them and present a report outlining the best evacuation routes.
—Kevin Hogan, Technology Review, April 2002
With an equation linking the money wage to prices, the degree of inflation could be ascertained.
—Sidney Weintraub, Modern Economic Thought, (1977) 1993
Recent Examples on the Web
Concerned relatives were unable to ascertain their welfare or whereabouts while Daybell and Vallow lived alone in Hawaii, reportedly on the life insurance money Daybell received after his wife’s death.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
That was why the machine learning classifiers had been able to correctly ascertain the ranks of particular curves.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ascertain 
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
That was why the machine learning classifiers had been able to correctly ascertain the ranks of particular curves.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ascertain
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ascertain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ascertain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascertain. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ascertain
verb
as·cer·tain
ˌas-ər-ˈtān
: to learn with certainty : find out
could not ascertain the correct date
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