Meaning & use
ascertaining
Last updated
Finding something out for certain; making sure of a fact through checking or investigation.
See it in a sentence
Investigators worked to ascertain the cause of the fire.
Please ascertain whether the shipment has arrived before calling the client.
A note on using this word
A formal word, more common in official, legal, or written contexts than in casual speech.
Words with a similar meaning
determiningverifying
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
assumingguessing
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