ascertain
English · Thesaurus
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ascertain
- /ˌæsəˈteɪn/ UK
- /ˌæsɚˈteɪn/ Canada, US
- /ˌæsəˈtæɪn/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -eɪn
Where it comes from
From Middle English acerteynen, from Old French acertener, from a- (“to, towards”) + certener (“make sure of”), from the adjective certain, from Latin certus (“certain, fixed”). Compare to Spanish acertar.
verb ascertains · ascertaining · ascertained
-
To find out definitely; to discover or establish.
As soon as we ascertain what the situation is, we can plan how to proceed.
Similar: determine, discover, establish, find out, learn, work out, see, discern, assess
- To make (someone) certain or confident about something; to inform. Therfore the saide cõmissioners shall mowe say that nowe late during the parlement the King ascertaigned of the saide maliciouse pʳpose of his enemys, willed and desired the lords being then present to shewe their̃ good willes aide and helpe for the saide rescues[…]
- To look for something lost.
- To establish, to prove. The two firſt lines of the following book ſeem to aſcertain the true meaning of the concluſion of this, and to prove ſufficiently that by Ωκεανός here, Homer could not poſſibly intend any other than a river.
- To ensure or effect. It is true, that no diligence can aſcertain ſucceſs ; death may intercept the ſwifteſt career ; but he who is cut off in the execution of an honeſt undertaking, has at leaſt the honour of falling in his rank, and has fought the battle, though he miſſed the victory.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: see, evidence, find out, ensure, demonstrate, learn, assure, tell, control, find, determine, insure, watch, check, verify, corroborate
Translations
Every language
verb find out; discover or establish
| Español | averiguar, acertar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 명백히하다 myeongbaekhihada |
| 日本語 | 確かめる tashikameru |
| 中文 | 查明 chámíng |
| Português | averiguar, determinar, estabelecer, apurar, constatar |
| Français | constater, définir |
| Deutsch | feststellen |
| Italiano | accertare, appurare, stabilire, constatare, riscontrare |
| Ελληνικά | διαπιστώνω diapistóno |
| Русский | удостоверя́ться udostoverjátʹsja, удостове́риться udostovéritʹsja, убежда́ться ubeždátʹsja, убеди́ться ubedítʹsja, устана́вливать ustanávlivatʹ, установи́ть ustanovítʹ |
| العربية | تَيَقَّنَ tayaqqana, تَثَبَّتَ taṯabbata |
| עברית | וידא vidé |
Talk about this word "ascertain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ascertain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ascertain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ascertain "ascertain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ascertain.Cite this
@misc{ascertain_2026,
title = {ascertain},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ascertain},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
