English vocabulary · B2
Unearth
/ʌnˈɝːθ/ · v.
To unearth something is to bring it up from the ground or learn about it after it was hidden. Something hidden becomes known.
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Example sentences
- Workers unearthed coins beneath the old road.
- Research unearthed years of hidden lies.
Word origin and roots
from Old English
- un — out (from Old English)
- earth — ground (from Old English)
Synonyms and nuances
- DISCOVER — find something new (Newly Found)
- REVEAL — show what was hidden (Made Clear)
- EXPOSE — show a hidden truth (Open To View)
Words with the same root
earth — ground
- earth — the planet or ground
- earthquake — a shaking of the ground
- earthly — of life on Earth
Lesson notes
To unearth something is to bring it up from the ground or learn about it after it was hidden. Something hidden becomes known.
Related: discover, reveal, expose. Use unearth when hidden things become known.
Workers unearthed coins beneath the old road. Research unearthed years of hidden lies.
From Old English. Un- means out. Earth means ground. Out of the ground, a hidden crown appears. That is unearth.