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:
But there’s no guarantee it won’t take longer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Mauricio Parise, the Delta vice president who oversees the VIP Select program, says this isn’t for show but to guarantee space for VIPs who choose to visit the lounge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Having elevated forever chemicals in their blood is not a guarantee residents will develop these conditions, but US and German authorities have suggested anyone with elevated levels should be offered further health screening.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Although past performance isn’t a guarantee of how things might play out in the future, analysts at BofA Global Research believe investors have been reacting to the wrong metric.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
“If a petition against such broadcasts would help in any way, I, for one, can guarantee at least 50 names of responsible persons who would be willing and eager to protest.”
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Media law professor Frank LoMonte argued in 2018, “The First Amendment guarantees all Americans freedom to speak and publish without government interference.”
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
Mr. Xi won’t arrive with demands, but trading offers—soybeans, Boeing orders, rare-earth guarantees that Mr. Trump can announce that afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
I’m doing everything I can on the preventative-care and healthy-lifestyle front, but unfortunately there are no guarantees.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Germany's finance minister on Monday met the UniCredit CEO to seek guarantees over the future of Commerzbank, as the Italian lender gears up to complete a takeover of its German rival.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 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
The gold can also be purchased by central and commercial banks, because its weight, serial number and minimum purity are fully guaranteed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
That guaranteed the teams with revenue, with brokers benefiting from a markup for popular games but taking the risk that tickets to less popular games would sell at a loss, or not at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Washington had resisted, partly because it supplies F-35s to its ally Israel, which is guaranteed under US law to receive top-of-the-range American weapons compared with those its regional neighbours can access.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Always ask how future premium increases are handled: traditional long-term-care premiums are not necessarily guaranteed to remain static.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Hence a large society that continues to leave conflict resolution to all of its members is guaranteed to blow up.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
“Since Oct. 7, there is no mechanism for guaranteeing the well-being of Palestinian citizens,” said Issam Younes, head of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, a Palestinian rights organization.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
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
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
And there's no guaranteeing they'll be so pleasing to the eye.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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.
