guarantor
Americannoun
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a person, group, system, etc., that guarantees.
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a person who makes or gives a guarantee, guaranty, warrant, etc.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of guarantor
First recorded in 1850–55; guarant(ee) + -or 2
Explanation
A guarantor is a person who helps someone who's borrowing money by promising to pay it back to the lender if the borrower is unable to. Sometimes you also need a guarantor to rent an apartment. If you're young, don't have a regular job, have a bad credit score, or don't have much money in the bank, you may need a guarantor in order to get a loan from a bank. The job of the guarantor is to guarantee that the loan payments will be made — by them, if necessary. You can also use this word for people who make other guarantees: "The health department is a guarantor of food safety in our city's restaurants."
Vocabulary lists containing guarantor
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:
Observers say no meaningful progress is possible without Ankara's backing because of Turkey's status as a guarantor power.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
America’s reliability as a guarantor of security has been a matter of debate for a long time.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Beijing has been sought as a possible guarantor of any lasting agreement, official sources have said, with Trump confirming to AFP that China helped get Tehran to the negotiating table.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
Tehran floated having Russia act as a guarantor of such a deal, one Iranian diplomat said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Jack, the household’s protector, its guarantor of tranquillity, was relied on to take the long view.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
We ended up relying on our parents to be guarantors so we could get approved for a Brooklyn apartment.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage head Ali Obeid Shalgham told AFP Iraqi security forces were the sites' "true guarantors", especially as many are in remote rural areas.
From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026
As the guarantors of European security, U.S. officials have long prodded European politicians on various issues—but usually behind closed doors and rarely with the bluntness of Trump’s diplomats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Washington said it had already informed other guarantors of the Gaza peace agreement - which include Egypt, Qatar and Turkey - and demanded Hamas uphold its end of the ceasefire terms.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025
Dr. King was equally clear that future riots are not inevitable: “Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
