Dictionary.com
definitions

sure

[ shoo r, shur ]
/ ʃʊər, ʃɜr /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sure ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sur·er, sur·est.

adverb

Informal. certainly; surely: It sure is cold out. Sure, I'll come.

RELATED CONTENT

What Makes Accents Appealing?What makes certain accents sexy and others harsh? “The RINE in SPINE fawls MINELY on tha PLINE!” In the song “The Rain in Spain” from the musical My Fair Lady, phonetics professor Henry Higgins (‘enry ‘iggins) pleads with Eliza Doolittle to say “Ay not I, O not Ow.” By the end of the song Eliza’s “AY-ing” and “O-ing” and pronouncing all her H’s. The guttersnipe is …
READ MORE
Make America Great AgainRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

confirm, verify, determine, divine, double-check, insure, ensure, secure, guarantee, capture, buy, get, win, assure, gain, have, take, achieve, authenticate, prove

Nearby words

  1. surcharge,
  2. surcingle,
  3. surcoat,
  4. surculose,
  5. surd,
  6. sure as shooting,
  7. sure cure,
  8. sure enough,
  9. sure of oneself,
  10. sure thing

Idioms

Origin of sure

1300–50; Middle English sur(e) < Middle French sur, Old French seur < Latin sēcūrus secure
SYNONYMS FOR sure
1 Sure, certain, confident, positive indicate full belief and trust that something is true. Sure, certain, and positive are often used interchangeably. Sure, the simplest and most general, expresses mere absence of doubt. Certain suggests that there are definite reasons that have freed one from doubt. Confident emphasizes the strength of the belief or the certainty of expectation felt. Positive implies emphatic certainty, which may even become overconfidence or dogmatism.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sure ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms

Usage note

Both sure and surely are used as intensifying adverbs with the sense “undoubtedly, certainly.” In this use, sure is generally informal and occurs mainly in speech and written representations of speech: She sure dazzled the audience with her acceptance speech. It was sure hot enough in the auditorium. Surely is used in this sense in all varieties of speech and writing, even the most formal: The court ruled that the law was surely meant to apply to both profit-making and nonprofit organizations. See also quick, slow.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for make sure

sure

/ (ʃʊə, ʃɔː) /

adjective

adverb

(sentence substitute) informal willingly; yes
(sentence modifier) informal, mainly US and Canadian without question; certainly
Derived Formssureness, noun

Word Origin for sure

C14: from Old French seur, from Latin sēcūrus secure
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 make sure

sure

adj.

c.1300, "safe, secure," later "mentally certain" (mid-15c.), from Old French sur, seur "safe, secure," from Latin securus "free from care, untroubled, heedless, safe" (see secure (adj.)). Pronunciation development followed that of sugar. As an affirmative meaning "yes, certainly" it dates from 1803, from Middle English meanings "firmly established; having no doubt," and phrases like to be sure (1650s), sure enough (1540s), and for sure (1580s). The use as a qualifier meaning "assuredly" goes back to early 15c. Sure-footed is from 1630s; sure thing dates from 1836. In 16c.-17c., Suresby was an appellation for a person to be depended upon.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with make sure (1 of 2)

make sure

1

Make certain, establish something without doubt, as in Make sure all the doors are locked. It is also put as make sure of, as in Before you make that speech, make sure of your facts. This usage was first recorded in 1565.

2

make sure of. Act so as to be certain of something, as in He wanted to make sure of his own district before seeking support elsewhere. This usage was first recorded in 1673.

Idioms and Phrases with make sure (2 of 2)

sure

In addition to the idioms beginning with sure

  • sure as shooting
  • sure cure
  • sure enough
  • sure of oneself
  • sure thing

also see:

  • for certain (sure)
  • make sure
  • slow but sure
  • to be sure
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.