From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishascertainas‧cer‧tain /ˌæsəˈteɪn $ ˌæsər-/ ●○○ verb [intransitive, transitive] formalFIND OUT to find out something SYN establish A postmortem was ordered to try to ascertain the cause of death.ascertain whether/what/how etc Tests were conducted to ascertain whether pollution levels have dropped.ascertain that Police had ascertained that the dead man knew his killer.ascertain something from somebody/something You should ascertain the level of insurance cover from the car rental company. —ascertainable adjectiveRegisterAscertain is used mainly in formal or technical contexts. In everyday English, people usually say find out:We need to find out exactly what happened before we jump to any conclusions.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
ascertain• Unfortunately, since there are so many possible explanations, the correct one is most difficult to ascertain.• As far as we have been able to ascertain, our client is not involved in anything illegal.• The pathologist ascertained that the victim had died from a gunshot wound.• He had previously ascertained that there were at least two aircraft with similar radio fits and noted their positions.• The reason was that it was not at that time ascertained that those materials were definitely to be used.• Read labels to ascertain the amount of fats in processed foods.• Try to ascertain the financing techniques used by your own country in its international transactions with the rest of the world.• It is not always easy to ascertain the source of a particular item of income.• Have you ascertained the strength and consistency of each symptom?• The case remains a mystery. The police were never able to ascertain the true facts.• With Bulstrode resigned from the hospital board, Dorothea summons Lydgate for advice and also to ascertain the truth.• Because of the nature of the sample this study could not ascertain the views of residents themselves.• A doctor should examine the patient to ascertain where the pain is localized.ascertain that• He has given you a cost breakdown as follows: You have also ascertained that: 1.• We can ascertain that deer has been eaten by man since prehistory.• If the complex number c is in the white region, then there is an algorithm for ascertaining that fact.• In consideration of any theft claim, it must be ascertained that the clauses have been complied with in every respect.• Accordingly, evaluation will be undertaken to ascertain that the preventive measures implemented have been effective.• But no; they ascertained that the smell was coming from their clothes.• He had previously ascertained that there were at least two aircraft with similar radio fits and noted their positions.• The reason was that it was not at that time ascertained that those materials were definitely to be used.Origin ascertain (1500-1600) Old French acertainer, from certain 