Search

to find out definitely; learn with certainty or -ssurance; determine:
to ascertain the facts.
archaic. to make certain, clear, or definitely known.
historical examples

another arrangement, new to us, was the method of ascertaining how much the gasoline duty would be.
europe from a motor car russell richardson

but as to what was going on in the master’s cabin he had no way of ascertaining.
blow the man down holman day

the whole ingenuity of mankind would seem devoted to ascertaining how much a bullock can eat, and how little will feed a laborer.
the dodd family abroad, vol. i.(of ii) charles james lever

it is embodied in the ever wider choices of ascertaining our ident-ty.
the civilization of illiteracy mihai nadin

we see this done in foreign names every day by persons who have no means of ascertaining the correct pr-nunciation.
notes and queries, number 167, january 8, 1853 various

that i have no means of ascertaining, but that there is one i am sure.
caught in the net emile gaboriau

there is not much difficulty in ascertaining the relationship.
lady rosamond’s secret rebecca agatha armour

an instrument for ascertaining the quant-ty of moisture in the atmosphere.
the sailor’s word-book william henry smyth

we have no means of ascertaining this, as phœbus, who might have suggested the time of day, is a long way out of sight.
the pearl of the antilles, or an artist in cuba walter goodman

this was certainly a rough method of ascertaining the distance traversed!
celebrated travels and travellers jules verne

verb (transitive)
to determine or discover definitely
(archaic) to make certain
v.

early 15c., “to inform, to give -ssurance,” from anglo-french acerteiner, old french acertener “to -ssure, certify” (13c.), from a “to” (see ad-) + certain “certain” (see certain). modern meaning of “find out for sure by experiment or investigation” is first attested 1794. related: ascertained; ascertaining.