Dictionary.com
definitions

guarantee

[gar-uh n-tee]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR guarantee ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object), guar·an·teed, guar·an·tee·ing.

RELATED CONTENT

Warranty Vs. Guarantee
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Hatters
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

warranty, collateral, certificate, agreement, contract, deposit, security, insurance, assurance, insure, protect, secure, prove, support, assure, maintain, ensure, charter, guaranty, pawn

Origin of guarantee

First recorded in 1670–80; alteration of guaranty
Related formsnon·guar·an·tee, nounpre·guar·an·tee, noun, verb (used with object), pre·guar·an·teed, pre·guar·an·tee·ing.qua·si-guar·an·teed, adjectivere·guar·an·tee, noun, verb (used with object), re·guar·an·teed, re·guar·an·tee·ing.su·per·guar·an·tee, noun, verb, su·per·guar·an·teed, su·per·guar·an·tee·ing.un·guar·an·teed, adjective
Can be confusedguarantee guaranty warrantee warranty
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for guarantee

Contemporary Examples of guarantee

Historical Examples of guarantee

  • England had been shrewd enough to guarantee them their domains and revenues.

    In the Valley

    Harold Frederic

  • I can at least guarantee that the river shall not suffer from his visit.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • Betty fumbled with her sketching things as a sort of guarantee of good faith.

  • Who will guarantee our independence when we are at the mercy of every state?

  • Its guarantee is the laws of the universe, and these are "the Hands of the Living God."

    Pax Vobiscum

    Henry Drummond

British Dictionary definitions for guarantee

guarantee

noun

a formal assurance, esp in writing, that a product, service, etc, will meet certain standards or specifications
law a promise, esp a collateral agreement, to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of another
  1. a person, company, etc, to whom a guarantee is made
  2. a person, company, etc, who gives a guarantee
a person who acts as a guarantor
something that makes a specified condition or outcome certain
a variant spelling of guaranty

verb -tees, -teeing or -teed (mainly tr)

(also tr) to take responsibility for (someone else's debts, obligations, etc)
to serve as a guarantee for
to secure or furnish security fora small deposit will guarantee any dress
(usually foll by from or against) to undertake to protect or keep secure, as against injury, loss, etc
to ensuregood planning will guarantee success
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to promise or make certain

Word Origin for guarantee

C17: perhaps from Spanish garante or French garant, of Germanic origin; compare warrant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for guarantee
n.

1670s, alterted (perhaps via Spanish garante), from earlier garrant "warrant that the title to a property is true," early 15c., from Old French garant "defender, protector," from Germanic (see warrant (n.)). For form evolution, see gu-. Originally "person giving something as security;" sense of the "pledge" itself (which is properly a guaranty) developed 17c.

v.

1791, from guarantee (n.). Garanten in this sense is from early 15c. Related: Guaranteed; guaranteeing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper