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:
And if you have $40,000, you could still guarantee a portion of it to augment your lifestyle above Social Security.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
"The Spanish state is obliged to guarantee equal access to justice, irrespective of who the accused person is," said Women's Link executive director Jovana Rios Cisnero.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
There is no guarantee they will build a real fan base, and there are concerns that shortening attention spans will make it harder to attract and retain audiences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
“I can guarantee you, that’s a completely different environment here.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Fine. That is, I’m sure it will be fine. Unfortunately I’m one of those no-rankers. So, you see, I can’t actually guarantee it will be fine....”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Carney said Canada was also offering CAN$450 million in loan guarantees to enhance the Ukrainian energy supply.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Still, there’s no magic number for the core CPI that guarantees the Fed’s next move — and there’s lots of moving parts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
In March, the team agreed to terms with safety Kam Curl on an extension that includes $24 million in guarantees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
In Rhode Island, where we live, state law guarantees at least 20 minutes of recess only through sixth grade.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
“The new government guarantees on its word of honor your personal safety and that of your family.”
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
De Paula wasn’t otherwise guaranteed to debut this season, although the Dodgers would have needed to eventually put him on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
That wasn’t guaranteed 25 years ago, and we would not have predicted it at the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
If Ashe can help 23-year-old Shelton earn his first career win over Alcaraz, there is guaranteed to be an American player in the final.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Rather than applying the 4% rule to my $1.53 million portfolio, I would like to understand how my various guaranteed and semi-guaranteed income sources change the amount I actually need to withdraw.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
It was summer, and tryouts were two months away, but the coach, Kanue learned, would let kids join summer practice so long as they understood that they weren’t guaranteed a spot on the roster.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
And short of guaranteeing that someone gets slapped across the face every year, count on the Oscars to try to regain its distinction while courting viewers however possible.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
It is also guaranteeing $36 billion in sales for cloud-computing companies it sells chips to, in exchange for revenue-sharing deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 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
"Realistically this is what we can guarantee - the big difference is we are guaranteeing it for a minimum of three years."
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
They had lost to the Rebels and instead of winning the district championship and guaranteeing themselves a trip to the playoffs, there might be only one game left in the season.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
