Meaning & use

unearth

verb·Academic

To discover something that was hidden, buried, or previously unknown, often through digging or careful investigation.

See it in a sentence

Archaeologists unearthed an ancient coin buried beneath the old temple.

The journalist unearthed documents that revealed the company's hidden losses.

A note on using this word

Unearth works literally for digging up objects and figuratively for uncovering secrets or information.

Words with a similar meaning

uncoverexcavate

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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