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
Once the scooter submerges and goes out of GPS range, the system continues to ascertain its location based on factors such as its speed and orientation.
—Ben Coxworth
july 10, New Atlas, 10 July 2025
The exact number of affected survivors is difficult to ascertain.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025
The latter split into at least three sub-lineages whose movements have been traced in South America, but scientists have not yet ascertained when the first people would have moved from Central America to South America.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
This letter stressed the necessity of large scale experimentation to ascertain the possibility of producing an atom bomb.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 June 2025
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Ben Coxworth
july 10, New Atlas, 10 July 2025
The exact number of affected survivors is difficult to ascertain.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025
The latter split into at least three sub-lineages whose movements have been traced in South America, but scientists have not yet ascertained when the first people would have moved from Central America to South America.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
This letter stressed the necessity of large scale experimentation to ascertain the possibility of producing an atom bomb.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 June 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 22 Jul. 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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