surety
Americannoun
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security against loss or damage or for the fulfillment of an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.; a pledge, guaranty, or bond.
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a person who is legally responsible for the debt, default, or delinquency of another.
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a person who, as a sponsor, godparent, etc., has assumed or accepted responsibility for another's debts or behavior.
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the state or quality of being sure.
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something that makes sure; ground of confidence or safety.
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assurance, especially self-assurance.
noun
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a person who assumes legal responsibility for the fulfilment of another's debt or obligation and himself becomes liable if the other defaults
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security given against loss or damage or as a guarantee that an obligation will be met
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obsolete the quality or condition of being sure
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obsolete a means of assurance or safety
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to act as a surety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of surety
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English surte from Middle French; Old French seurte from Latin sēcūritāt-, stem of sēcūritās security
Explanation
A surety is a fact that no one questions. Surety, in a legal sense, is the security you can provide when you apply for a loan. When you're sure of something, you're positive it's true. Such things are sureties, because they inspire such confidence. Also, there's a legal type of surety. If you take out a loan, a house you own could be a surety: it could be claimed by your creditors if you don't repay the loan. That type of surety provides security (or insecurity, if you fail to pay back the loan).
Vocabulary lists containing surety
"The Tempest," Vocabulary from Acts 1 and 2
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Vocabulary from the Magna Carta, List 2
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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:
Grogin also ordered a bail surety of A$250,000 and placed restrictions on Roberts-Smith's travel within Australia.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
Mr. Lendorf stood out for his unerring, dignified demeanor and the clarity of his pliant upper-body carriage against the marvelous surety of his cats-paw footwork and quietly powerful legwork.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
He was released on a $20,000 surety bond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
We’re well on the way to a future of absolute weather uncertainty—no surety to forecasts, a weakened ability to transmit emergency alerts—that we’ll nevertheless have to pay for out of our own pockets.
From Slate ● May 22, 2025
Peach’s eyes were shining with the newfound surety of his survival.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
But there are no sureties in this race.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2024
Treasury but a “service provider that acts as an intermediary between immigration detainees and sureties and their bond agents.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2024
District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, New York, on Tuesday ordered the names of the sureties to be revealed at midday Thursday.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 22, 2023
Requesting £1,000 cash sureties as part of the release terms, Mr Justice Rooney confirmed they are to be prohibited from entering any Tesco stores in the UK.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2023
Where one of a number of joint and several sureties dies, the future liability of the survivors under the guarantee continues, at all events until it has been determined by express notice.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various
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.
