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
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
The role of asteroid and comet impacts Next, Barrett plans to analyze more meteorites in an effort to ascertain exactly how much hydrogen would have been present on Earth, and how much may have been delivered from external sources.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
For this novel’s narrator, no effort is too great to ascertain the truth, even if the work becomes a compulsion.
—Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2025
On Tuesday afternoon, the county’s lawyers were still trying to ascertain what Cook was getting at with that confusing sentence.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2025
The lawmakers seek to ascertain the total number of DHS employees who departed as a result of DOGE, whether through a buyout ignited by DOGE leader Musk or a separate demand from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to fire probationary employees hired within the last year or two.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2025
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Jack Guy, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
For this novel’s narrator, no effort is too great to ascertain the truth, even if the work becomes a compulsion.
—Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2025
On Tuesday afternoon, the county’s lawyers were still trying to ascertain what Cook was getting at with that confusing sentence.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2025
The lawmakers seek to ascertain the total number of DHS employees who departed as a result of DOGE, whether through a buyout ignited by DOGE leader Musk or a separate demand from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to fire probationary employees hired within the last year or two.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascertain
Cite this Entry
“Ascertain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascertain. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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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