unearth

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verb un·earth \ ˌən-ˈərth \

Definition of unearth

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

See unearth defined for English-language learners

See unearth defined for kids

Examples of unearth in a Sentence

An old document was unearthed from the files.
They unearthed evidence that he had accepted bribes.

Recent Examples of unearth from the Web

As authorities began their search, Ruud and Peat left the property and were married in Summersville, Mo. Human bones were eventually unearthed from the pile, as well as a pants button with ducks imprinted on it, court documents show.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Allegations of hellish abuse in the Ozarks as mother is charged with slaying daughter," 23 Aug. 2017
The girl’s bones were unearthed the following year from an unmarked grave at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Everett, Washington.

— ciara o'rourke, The Atlantic, "Solving a Murder Mystery With Ancestry Websites," 16 Aug. 2017
Legal experts warned that the facts of the Charlottesville attack may not fit into existing federal criminal statutes, depending on what evidence is unearthed.

— charlie savage and rebecca r. ruiz, New York Times, "Sessions Emerges as Forceful Figure in Condemning Charlottesville Violence," 14 Aug. 2017
Privately, his supporters question Mueller’s work to unearth conduct with no apparent connection to the 2016 election.

— christian berthelsen, Bloomberg.com, "With Bank Subpoenas, Mueller Turns Up the Heat on Manafort," 10 Aug. 2017
The Western Science Center is home to a fascinating array of archaeological artifacts and Pleistocene Ice Age fossils that were unearthed at Diamond Valley Lake, including this mastodon jaw getting CT scanned at California Imaging & Diagnostics.

— nicole miller-coleman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mastodon detectives are headed to Hemet in August," 23 July 2017
A restoration of the North Course unearthed some bunkers that were pivotal to Wille Park Jr.'s century-old parkland design.

— teddy greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "What's next for Olympia Fields? Perhaps a BMW or PGA Championship," 2 July 2017
Investigators are hoping to unearth evidence in other cases of racially motivated killings across the South in the 1950s and 1960s.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Law named for Emmett Till keeps Alabama's unsolved civil rights murders from being forgotten," 29 June 2017
The other mystery at Göbekli is that the carvings only appear on three skulls, even though many skull fragments have been unearthed there.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Unprecedented Carved Skulls Discovered at a Stone Age Temple in Turkey," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unearth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unearth

15th century

unearth Synonyms

Synonyms

disinter, exhume

Antonyms

bury, entomb, inhume, inter, tomb

Synonym Discussion of 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

UNEARTH Defined for English Language Learners

unearth

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verb

Definition of unearth for English Language Learners

: to find (something) that was buried in the earth
: to find or discover (something) that was hidden or lost

UNEARTH Defined for Kids

unearth

play

verb un·earth \ ˌən-ˈərth \

Definition of unearth for Students

unearthed; unearthing

1 :to bring up from underground :dig up

Pirates unearthed the buried treasure.

2 :to bring to light :uncover

Reporters unearthed a scandal.

Learn More about unearth

See words that rhyme with unearth Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unearth Spanish Central: Translation of unearth Nglish: Translation of unearth for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of unearth for Arabic speakers

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unearth Synonyms

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Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of unearth

UNEARTH Defined for English Language Learners

unearth

Definition of unearth for English Language Learners

UNEARTH Defined for Kids

unearth

Definition of unearth for Students

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