as in discovery
the act or process of sighting or learning the existence of something for the first time
the unearthing of a prehistoric man who had been preserved in an Alpine glacier proved to be a great boon to science
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Recent Examples of unearthing
Kelsey Brown, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2026
For Ruffier, the hardest part was filming scenes that show her unearthing and reading her old school-time diaries, full of entries about her then-teacher.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
The murders followed a deadly boat crash that led to the unearthing of multiple scandals involving the wealthy family, one of the state's most formidable legal dynasties.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2025
Rochana Redkar, Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Haematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, was excited to see the unearthing.
—Jennifer Hauser, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
The trailer also teases the unearthing of Addams family secrets.
—Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Your 4th House of Family receives support as sensual Venus sextiles unearthing Pluto in your logical 2nd house, nudging you to refresh your routines and polish your living space.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
Once the capsule is buried on July 4, the Park Service will take ownership of it and will be responsible for eventually unearthing it.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Some of the artifacts were discovered almost 100 years ago, but ongoing excavations are constantly unearthing new ones.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026
Your 4th House of Home becomes a deep well as the nurturing Moon conjoins unearthing Pluto there, encouraging you to cleanse closets and clear emotional dust.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Some viewed the discovery as a divine gift, while a local priest chastised the explorers for unearthing Satan, saying the blowout was God’s punishment.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
For Patterson, getting the best out of his defenders never proved to be a problem at TCU, where he was known for unearthing underrated prospects.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
But for the brave men and women of the TSA, unearthing every strange and confusing item in passenger luggage is just another day on the job.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
As part of that unearthing, the company is looking to do sitework and underground utilities for data centers — doing everything from moving the dirt to implementing drainage — to lay the foundation for both dry and wet utilities, Executive Vice President Travis Mross said.
—Kelsey Brown, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2026
For Ruffier, the hardest part was filming scenes that show her unearthing and reading her old school-time diaries, full of entries about her then-teacher.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
The murders followed a deadly boat crash that led to the unearthing of multiple scandals involving the wealthy family, one of the state's most formidable legal dynasties.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2025
Rochana Redkar, Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Haematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, was excited to see the unearthing.
—Jennifer Hauser, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
The trailer also teases the unearthing of Addams family secrets.
—Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
How have Spanish governments’ attitudes toward unearthing information about the victims of the Franco regime changed over time?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Your 4th House of Family receives support as sensual Venus sextiles unearthing Pluto in your logical 2nd house, nudging you to refresh your routines and polish your living space.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
Once the capsule is buried on July 4, the Park Service will take ownership of it and will be responsible for eventually unearthing it.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Some of the artifacts were discovered almost 100 years ago, but ongoing excavations are constantly unearthing new ones.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026
Your 4th House of Home becomes a deep well as the nurturing Moon conjoins unearthing Pluto there, encouraging you to cleanse closets and clear emotional dust.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Some viewed the discovery as a divine gift, while a local priest chastised the explorers for unearthing Satan, saying the blowout was God’s punishment.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
For Patterson, getting the best out of his defenders never proved to be a problem at TCU, where he was known for unearthing underrated prospects.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
But for the brave men and women of the TSA, unearthing every strange and confusing item in passenger luggage is just another day on the job.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unearthing
Noun
-
This discovery once again reveals the vital role archaeology plays in future construction zones, the press release concluded.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
His work can be gritty, like an act of discovery, as his camera pops in and out of shadows, through desolate, post-apocalyptic shops and office buildings.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2021, Carolyn Dunn Moudy was identified as the woman whose body Davie Police found floating in a canal in 1975 after exhuming her body from Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens cemetery in Davie in 2019.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Gein admitted to exhuming the corpses and using the skin to recreate and become his mother, who died of a stroke in 1945.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The preliminary finding prompted immediate calls for more information from the Pentagon.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
-
To confirm these findings, this new compound was also tested on rodents.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unearthing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unearthing. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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