unearth

verb

un·​earth ˌən-ˈərth 

unearthed; unearthing; unearths

transitive verb

1

: to dig up out of or as if out of the earth : exhume

unearth treasure

unearth an old photo album

2

: to make known or public : bring to light

unearth a scandal

Synonyms

• disinter
• exhume

Choose the Right Synonym for unearth

discover, ascertain, determine, unearth, learn mean to find out what one did not previously know.

discover may apply to something requiring exploration or investigation or to a chance encounter.

discovered the source of the river

ascertain implies effort to find the facts or the truth proceeding from awareness of ignorance or uncertainty.

attempts to ascertain the population of the region

determine emphasizes the intent to establish the facts definitely or precisely.

unable to determine the origin of the word

unearth implies bringing to light something forgotten or hidden.

unearth old records

learn may imply acquiring knowledge with little effort or conscious intention (as by simply being told) or it may imply study and practice.

I learned her name only today

learning Greek

Examples of unearth in a Sentence

An old document was unearthed from the files.

They unearthed evidence that he had accepted bribes.

Recent Examples on the Web

What is interesting is the fact that our customers are starting to use AI, unearthing some real productivity benefits. —Toni Pisano, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

The girl confided to her foster parent that she had been abused numerous times by Boyd — but investigators unearthed the full extent of her horrific treatment in a series of interviews over weeks, court documents said. —Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2025

Per the suit, this information was unearthed after lawyers for the owners read through 7 million pages of documents and conducted 100 days of depositions. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 29 Apr. 2025

See them In Russia, armor-piercing arrows from the era of Genghis Khan were rediscovered in a museum after being unearthed 60 years ago near Yeniseisk. —Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unearth

• childbirth
• rebirth
• stillbirth
• tamworth
• afterbirth
• berth
• birth
• dearth
• earth
• firth
• girth
• mirth

Kids Definition

unearth

verb

un·​earth ˌən-ˈərth 

ˈən-

1

: to drive or draw from the earth : dig up

unearth buried treasure

2

: to bring to light : discover

unearth a secret