unearth

verb

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un·earth | \ ˌən-ˈərth

unearthed; unearthing; unearths

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

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about unearth

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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 The photo, unearthed from social media by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, resulted in the students' suspension from the school. — oregonlive, "Mississippi Emmett Till memorial, vandalized again and again and again, is now bulletproof," 20 Oct. 2019 With its deeply creaky gender and racial themes, this strained film evokes something unearthed from several decades ago, if not before. — Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Woman-in-workplace drama ‘Game Day’ is defeated by dated cliches," 3 Oct. 2019 Since the 1990s, Otzi is just one of the thousands of remarkable discoveries that archaeologists have unearthed from glaciers and ice patches across the world. — Ritoban Mukherjee, Quartz, "Climate change is bad for the planet, but groundbreaking for archaeology," 30 Aug. 2019 The bombs damaged, and in some cases totally destroyed, several of the streets and buildings archaeologists had already unearthed from the thick layer of ash that entombed the city. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Unexploded World War II bombs may still be buried at Pompeii," 8 July 2019 Later, June spies the couple bonding over the music, freshly unearthed from a moldy box in the basement. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Bradley Whitford Is More Confused By His Handmaid's Tale Character Than You," 20 June 2019 The finer specimens of these hand-axes, unearthed across Europe and Africa, from the Fells of Cumbria to the river gorges of the Olduvai Valley, have the shape of great and heavy tears. — Jonny Diamond, Longreads, "Lumbersexuality, a Sport and a Pastime," 8 June 2019 The scene is playing out at archaeological dig sites around the world: Scientists are increasingly interested in the piles of soil unearthed from archaeological digs, rather than just the bones and artifacts. — Quanta Magazine, "Ancient DNA Yields Snapshots of Vanished Ecosystems," 29 May 2019 Tusks, teeth, and skulls unearthed from the island show that mammoths lived here for more than 5,000 years after the species disappeared from the mainland. — National Geographic, "Fun Facts About the Bering and Chukchi Seas," 26 Mar. 2019

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.