guarantee

American  

[gar-uhn-tee] / ˌgær ənˈti /

noun

• guarantees
  plural

1. 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.

2. an assurance that another’s obligation will be fulfilled, or something presented as such security; guaranty.

3. something that assures a particular outcome or condition.

   Wealth is no guarantee of happiness.

4. a person who gives a guarantee or guaranty; guarantor.

5. a person to whom a guarantee is made.

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verb (used with object)

• guarantees,
  present (3rd person singular)
• guaranteed,
  past participle,  past
• guaranteeing
  present participle

1. to secure, as by giving or taking security.

   A credit card guarantees your reservation at the hotel.

2. to make oneself answerable for (something) on behalf of someone else who is primarily responsible.

   to guarantee the fulfillment of a contract.

3. to undertake to ensure for another, as rights or possessions.

   The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

4. to serve as a warrant or guaranty for.

5. to undertake to protect or indemnify.

   to guarantee a person against loss.

6. to undertake (to do something).

   I will guarantee to prove every word I stated.

7. to promise (usually followed by a clause as object).

   I guarantee that I'll be there.

guarantee British  

/ ˌɡærənˈtiː /

noun

1. a formal assurance, esp in writing, that a product, service, etc, will meet certain standards or specifications

2. law a promise, esp a collateral agreement, to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of another

3. 1. a person, company, etc, to whom a guarantee is made

   2. a person, company, etc, who gives a guarantee

4. a person who acts as a guarantor

5. something that makes a specified condition or outcome certain

6. a variant spelling of guaranty

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verb

1. (also tr) to take responsibility for (someone else's debts, obligations, etc)

2. to serve as a guarantee for

3. to secure or furnish security for

   a small deposit will guarantee any dress

4. to undertake to protect or keep secure, as against injury, loss, etc

5. to ensure

   good planning will guarantee success

6. (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

• nonguarantee
  noun
• preguarantee
  noun
• reguarantee
  noun
• superguarantee
  noun
• quasi-guaranteed
  adjective
• unguaranteed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• guarantees
  plural

Participles

• guaranteeing
  present
• guaranteed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• guarantee
  simple
• guarantees
  simple
• have guaranteed
  perfect
• has guaranteed
  perfect
• am guaranteeing
  progressive
• are guaranteeing
  progressive
• is guaranteeing
  progressive
• have been guaranteeing
  perfect progressive
• has been guaranteeing
  perfect progressive

Past

• guaranteed
  simple
• had guaranteed
  perfect
• was guaranteeing
  progressive
• were guaranteeing
  progressive
• had been guaranteeing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will guarantee
  simple
• will have guaranteed
  perfect
• will be guaranteeing
  progressive
• will have been guaranteeing
  perfect progressive

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guarantee guarantees guaranteed guaranteeing

Insurers guarantee that their investment return will never fall below zero, with the potential for better returns than a CD or savings account.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Gate agents can guarantee volunteers a seat on the next flight to their destination—not just the next flight with empty seats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

"And there is no guarantee the students won't just produce the content using AI and read it. Assignments clearly need to be reimagined."

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

But you’d still be left with a shortfall of nearly $300 a month, and there’s no guarantee that stocks will continue on their bull-market trajectory over the next 10 years.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

The purpose was to keep the man’s focus and attention as sharp as possible, and to guarantee a solid night’s rest.

From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba

Her son-in-law helped her move the money to a traditional fixed annuity that guarantees a 5.85% annual rate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

The Miami discussions covered "security guarantees, as well as longer-term arrangements for Ukraine's and Europe's security to prevent future conflicts, and support Ukraine's post-war reconstruction," Witkoff said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Parachute money could ease those concerns, although there are no guarantees that the club would be entitled to those payments if they are demoted.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 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

“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

The Milwaukee Brewers are up next for the Dodgers in the NLCS, so here’s a reminder that nothing is guaranteed in October.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

So while El Niño is already having big impacts on global weather, and may influence the polar vortex later in winter, snow and ice in the UK is far from guaranteed.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

So long as the federal government doesn’t default, this payout rate is guaranteed.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

His $250,000 deposit guaranteed him one of 1,000 “Founders Series” Roadsters, according to documentation he provided to The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Going over to Gilbert’s house always guaranteed a show, as the chief’s work was never done.

From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba

Larry Ellison is personally guaranteeing the equity needed for Paramount to buy Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Congress settled that conflict decades ago by law, guaranteeing the paper’s editorial independence.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

Research by one Bristol food writer has raised questions about transparency, with some creators guaranteeing positive coverage in advance and offering not to make clear their review was in exchange for a free meal.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play a pivotal role by buying up mortgages and packaging them to sell to investors, guaranteeing the investors payments even if borrowers default.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Morgan to buy it by offering a knockdown price and guaranteeing Bear Stearns’s shakiest assets.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• agreement
• assurance
• certificate
• collateral
• contract
• deposit
• insurance
• security
• warranty