guarantee
Americannoun
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a promise or assurance, especially one in writing, that something is of specified quality, content, benefit, etc., or that it will perform satisfactorily for a given length of time.
a money-back guarantee.
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an assurance that another’s obligation will be fulfilled, or something presented as such security; guaranty.
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something that assures a particular outcome or condition.
Wealth is no guarantee of happiness.
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a person who gives a guarantee or guaranty; guarantor.
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a person to whom a guarantee is made.
verb (used with object)
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to secure, as by giving or taking security.
A credit card guarantees your reservation at the hotel.
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to make oneself answerable for (something) on behalf of someone else who is primarily responsible.
to guarantee the fulfillment of a contract.
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to undertake to ensure for another, as rights or possessions.
The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
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to serve as a warrant or guaranty for.
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to undertake to protect or indemnify.
to guarantee a person against loss.
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to undertake (to do something).
I will guarantee to prove every word I stated.
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to promise (usually followed by a clause as object).
I guarantee that I'll be there.
noun
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a formal assurance, esp in writing, that a product, service, etc, will meet certain standards or specifications
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law a promise, esp a collateral agreement, to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of another
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a person, company, etc, to whom a guarantee is made
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a person, company, etc, who gives a guarantee
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a person who acts as a guarantor
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something that makes a specified condition or outcome certain
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a variant spelling of guaranty
verb
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(also tr) to take responsibility for (someone else's debts, obligations, etc)
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to serve as a guarantee for
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to secure or furnish security for
a small deposit will guarantee any dress
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to undertake to protect or keep secure, as against injury, loss, etc
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to ensure
good planning will guarantee success
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(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to promise or make certain
Usage
What does guarantee mean? A guarantee is a promise or assurance, especially one that is written or legally binding, that something is of a stated quality or will perform as stated, such as a guarantee that a car you purchase will operate correctly. A guarantee is also an assurance of a particular outcome or condition, as in Weather predictions are not guarantees. Weather often changes quickly. To guarantee something is to secure something, as a ticket guarantees entry to a movie showing. As well, to guarantee is to promise to do something, usually by signing a legally binding agreement, as in The company guaranteed me a job when I signed the contract. Example: I guarantee you will love your purchase and will give you a full refund if you don’t.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonguaranteenoun
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preguaranteenoun
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reguaranteenoun
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superguaranteenoun
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quasi-guaranteedadjective
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unguaranteedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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guaranteesimple
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guaranteessimple
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have guaranteedperfect
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has guaranteedperfect
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am guaranteeingprogressive
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are guaranteeingprogressive
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is guaranteeingprogressive
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have been guaranteeingperfect progressive
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has been guaranteeingperfect progressive
Past
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guaranteedsimple
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had guaranteedperfect
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was guaranteeingprogressive
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were guaranteeingprogressive
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had been guaranteeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of guarantee
First recorded in 1670–80; alteration of guaranty
Explanation
To guarantee is to promise or to a make binding agreement. If a baseball player guarantees his team will win the World Series, he better not lead the league in strikeouts. Guarantee is a word that is both a noun and a verb: the noun means "a binding agreement" and the verb is the act of making that agreement. This word seems to have come from garante, the Spanish word for "protect" and it's related to the Old French word warrant, which means "to authorize." Today, we often come across guarantee in advertisements, and you might wonder how they might guarantee to make your social life better if your teeth are whiter!
Vocabulary lists containing guarantee
Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Frindle
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"The Constitution"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“A diplomatic process can reduce tail risk quickly, but it does not guarantee supply normalization on the same timetable.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The deeper lesson, though, is that a constitutional right’s popular origins do not guarantee a democratic afterlife.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
“He’s an amazing player,” Suter said, “but it doesn’t mean a guaranteed World Series. It doesn’t guarantee anything.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
The method would guarantee proportionality, but it would weaken regionality.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
“What instructions? We just point it at the house and get out of the way. I guarantee you those humans will be begging us to come in and rescue them.”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Recent history also suggests changing manager offers no guarantees.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Like Cole, Segal emphasizes that “rights are not gifts from judges, but guarantees rooted in constitutional democracy and human dignity.”
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
"I don't think one can give any guarantees," Raghu Iyer - chief executive of the Indian Olympic Association - told BBC Sport.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
“There should be some guarantees of enough water for a smaller farm,” said Judith Redmond, a Yolo County farmer who co-authored the report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
“No guarantees she'll remember you, or speak, but she's having quite a good day. See that yellow building, out the back, just through them trees? That's us.”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
You’re splitting custody of a plane and you’re guaranteed a certain amount of time on that plane; as a co-owner, there are additional benefits that can include tax write-offs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Historian Donald S Murray said food security was not guaranteed, and argued that the hunt was not unique.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
“He’s an amazing player,” Suter said, “but it doesn’t mean a guaranteed World Series. It doesn’t guarantee anything.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Their algorithm, called 'geographically ranked guaranteed proportionality', is designed to work around some of the limitations built into existing electoral systems.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
The image they saw outside their school guaranteed that misery would have some company.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
The transition talks between the interim government in Caracas and the opposition are backed by the United States, which says they will focus on rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening the electorate and guaranteeing political participation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The chip designers that stand to sell hardware into these facilities are the same firms guaranteeing the projects that will buy them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
It's not until 2030 that it seeks to achieve its mission of guaranteeing every young person a clear path to good jobs.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Activists say they applaud foreign exhibitions of heritage treasures — as long as laws guaranteeing their return are followed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
This couldn’t happen again—I was lucky this time; he still remembered me, even if he couldn’t recall what I had done, but there was no guaranteeing that luck would hold.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
