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
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
Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Supervising Sound Editor Rachael Tate revealed that a breakthrough on the sound side had been unearthing radio communications between first responders on the day of the fire, starting with the initial reports.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Milan prosecutors had been investigating in Tod’s’ value chain since last year, unearthing labor abuse and poor working conditions at a handful of its subcontractors in the Lombardy and Marche regions.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
While retrograde, there is a sense of reckoning with the past, with Pluto unearthing what (and who) truly carries power and influence in your social circles.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
The Norwegian director Joachim Trier, best known for his Oslo trilogy (including the Oscar-nominated The Worst Person in the World, also starring Reinsve), is remarkably adept at unearthing universal truths from hyperspecific characters.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
One researcher claimed authorities could have foiled the attack by unearthing connections between hijackers through public information in databases.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
After months of researching public records, unearthing decades-old war documents and interviewing people linked to the safe deposit boxes, the Tribune succeeded in 10 of the 11 cases on the treasurer’s public list — including that of Grabowski.
—Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The most successful professionals operating in this world of corporate enabling functions are masters at unearthing information—connecting the dots between seemingly disparate events and concepts and finding relationships and risks that matter to the business.
—Laura Clayton McDonnell, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
The Beatles have previewed their upcoming Anthology 4 by unearthing an unreleased take on the Help!
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Supervising Sound Editor Rachael Tate revealed that a breakthrough on the sound side had been unearthing radio communications between first responders on the day of the fire, starting with the initial reports.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Milan prosecutors had been investigating in Tod’s’ value chain since last year, unearthing labor abuse and poor working conditions at a handful of its subcontractors in the Lombardy and Marche regions.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
While retrograde, there is a sense of reckoning with the past, with Pluto unearthing what (and who) truly carries power and influence in your social circles.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
The Norwegian director Joachim Trier, best known for his Oslo trilogy (including the Oscar-nominated The Worst Person in the World, also starring Reinsve), is remarkably adept at unearthing universal truths from hyperspecific characters.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
One researcher claimed authorities could have foiled the attack by unearthing connections between hijackers through public information in databases.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
After months of researching public records, unearthing decades-old war documents and interviewing people linked to the safe deposit boxes, the Tribune succeeded in 10 of the 11 cases on the treasurer’s public list — including that of Grabowski.
—Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The most successful professionals operating in this world of corporate enabling functions are masters at unearthing information—connecting the dots between seemingly disparate events and concepts and finding relationships and risks that matter to the business.
—Laura Clayton McDonnell, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unearthing
Noun
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Stretching about a mile and a half, Italy’s only navigable underground river is home to the ancient cave system, which boasts numerous archaeological discoveries and unique formations.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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The find marks one of many major archaeological discoveries in Asia Minor in recent months.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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The findings come as businesses and governments weigh the economic promise of AI against regulatory and safety concerns.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Thompson turned to Preston Mui, a senior economist at Employ America, for a sector-by-sector breakdown of job openings since ChatGPT’s release, and the findings actually contradicted the AI narrative.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unearthing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unearthing. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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