unearth

verb un·earth \ ˌən-ˈərth \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

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Examples: unearth in a Sentence

Definition of unearth

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

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

In 2014, archaeologists in Israel unearthed shards of pottery a mile from the city of Nazareth, which contained traces of 8,000-year-old olive oil, the oldest ever discovered.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "This 4,000-Year-Old Jar Contains Italy’s Oldest Olive Oil," 4 June 2018
The swords may never have been pulled out of their leather scabbards since being unearthed.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Viking Artifacts, Vinland Map On Display At Mystic Seaport," 22 May 2018
Thanks to King, who has been unearthing stories like this one for nearly three decades.

— steven ruiz, For The Win, "Brett Favre opens up about addiction for Peter King's final MMQB column," 21 May 2018
Or when defense attorneys during the Oregon trial unearthed the presence of nine government informants at the Malheur occupation — including one guy named Fabio Minoggio.

— leah sottile, Longreads, "Bundyville Chapter Four: The Gospel of Bundy," 18 May 2018
Wylie was one of the primary sources that informed The New York Times and The Guardian’s initial pair of reports that unearthed the scandal’s implications following Facebook’s banning of Cambridge Analytica from its platform in March.

— nick statt, The Verge, "The Justice Department and FBI are reportedly investigating Cambridge Analytica over Facebook scandal," 15 May 2018
Yes, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble creates works centered on topics that, for some audience members, may unearth emotions related to traumatic experiences in their lives.

— lauren warnecke, chicagotribune.com, "‘Art in Response’ uses tanztheater, or dance, to ignite conversation about social justice," 1 May 2018
Meanwhile, emails unearthed during Uber's recent lawsuit with Waymo revealed that Levandowski has been dismissive of safety concerns since his days as a senior engineer at Google.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Why it’s time for Uber to get out of the self-driving car business," 27 Mar. 2018
When the remains of a grand Roman villa were unearthed during construction work for a parking garage, in 2006, the city was finally convinced that its old museum was sadly inadequate for the active archaeological dig that is Nîmes.

— joshua levine, Smithsonian, "Travel to Southern France for a Dazzling Taste of Ancient Rome," 24 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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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.