ascertain ˌˈæsərˌteɪn verb
1. learn or discover with confidence
2. establish after a calculation, investigation or study
3. learn or determine by making an inquiry or other effort
4. take care or make sure to do something
The word ascertain has appeared in 100 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 22 in “How the Owner of a Nightclub and a Roller Rink Spends His Sundays,” by Sara Aridi. In the article, Varun Kataria talks about checking in on his businesses:
I live a block and a half from where I work. I’m always flowing through my spaces, and I think that’s the benefit of proximity. My move is always to do a loop, take the temperature of each space. Is it busy? Is it slow? Does staff seem happy? Do they seem stressed out? I’ll try to ascertain all that information as quickly as possible.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word ascertain in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
If you want a better idea of how ascertain can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.
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Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
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