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:
Gatekeepers have to guarantee their services and those of third parties can work together in certain situations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
He said the bill would undermine the guarantee that new arts funding would reach every school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
There’s no guarantee that so-called AI-proof jobs are a silver-bullet solution for younger workers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
He said the government's job guarantee was supporting those "most in need", with the first young people who were supported by the scheme now in work.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Had she been foolish to promise something to the widow that she could not yet guarantee would happen?
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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
They quickly signed McDuffie to an extension that includes $100 million in guarantees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Assured, which guarantees roughly half of Brightline’s existing senior debt, is providing more than half of the financing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Media law professor Frank LoMonte argued in 2018, “The First Amendment guarantees all Americans freedom to speak and publish without government interference.”
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
Easy, because the stock exchange guarantees there’ll be a new random number every day.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Annuities provide a guaranteed income, similar to Social Security, and you already have the latter.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
If pleasant contentment is guaranteed if you just stay put, why take the risk?
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
South-east England may see some welcome rain throughout the afternoon and evening, but it is by no means guaranteed.
From BBC ● 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
“Yep. Here’s a guaranteed Wonder of the county. Even the state. And maybe even a Wonder of the whole doggone world.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
“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
Kazakhstan's Rybakina is assured of replacing Sabalenka at the top of the rankings, guaranteeing that by reaching the semi-finals.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Congress settled that conflict decades ago by law, guaranteeing the paper’s editorial independence.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Both political camps have been protesting ahead of the negotiations, which according to the US State Department, will focus on rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening the electorate and guaranteeing political participation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 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.
