guarantee
Americannoun
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guarantees
plural
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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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guarantees,
present (3rd person singular)
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guaranteed,
past participle, past
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guaranteeing
present participle
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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:
There is no guarantee Mattel will be receptive to Authentic’s approach or the two sides will reach a deal, the people cautioned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
But there’s no guarantee that iPhones will remain the industry’s dominant hardware product in the AI era.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
"We organised a train down to London, the guarantee was that it would go straight to Wembley," says McIlduff.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
But, Wilson added, “you don’t have to like me. You don’t have to love me. You can hate me with all your heart. ... But I guarantee you will respect me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
There was one way I could guarantee he’d lose.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
There are no guarantees in life—there could be wars, financial crises, or worse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
All of these are formally associated with the federal government, but all are the beneficiaries of congressionally enacted guarantees of substantial reportorial and editorial independence.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Wakefield's win guarantees there will be a sixth name on the trophy and a new champion for the second successive year, following Rovers' victory in 2025.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
They quickly signed McDuffie to an extension that includes $100 million in guarantees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Sharing guarantees success because you’re acknowledging the importance of your network.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
A guaranteed $110,000 in annual fixed income might sound ideal, but other financial planners warn it’s not so simple.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
They had only guaranteed safety in the previous campaign by coming from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace in their penultimate game on a night of thunderous sporting theatre at Goodison Park.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
If pleasant contentment is guaranteed if you just stay put, why take the risk?
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Lakers have 16 players on guaranteed contracts entering training camp and must get that number down to the league maximum 15 by the season opener on Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
It’s full of magic antiblast gas — guaranteed to save your bone marrow.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
“Since Oct. 7, there is no mechanism for guaranteeing the well-being of Palestinian citizens,” said Issam Younes, head of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, a Palestinian rights organization.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
And short of guaranteeing that someone gets slapped across the face every year, count on the Oscars to try to regain its distinction while courting viewers however possible.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 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
If we could check that the candidate landing site was not covered with sifting, drifting dust, we would have at least a fair chance of guaranteeing that the winds were not intolerably high.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
