guarantee
Americannoun
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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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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:
It’s going to take a few weeks to get a resolution, and there’s no guarantee that anything will change, but I’m glad I went hunting for answers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
So was the loan guarantee program a huge waste of money?
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The $250 billion guarantee would cover the data-center lease and debt needed to fund its build-out, but not the Nvidia chips that would go inside it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Repeat the survey but instead guarantee £5 or offer a 50/50 chance for a £100, and most people will probably go for the £100 bet.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
It was the only way to guarantee they could be identified after release.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
These parents read the new constitutional guarantees of freedom for themselves, and demanded they be enforced, long before any Supreme Court told them what those words meant.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
There are no guarantees Robinhood and Crypto.com ultimately will reach a deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
And there are no guarantees the states won’t be forced to take more dramatic action within the next two years, Marcus said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Burnham spoke to reporters in Bath, it says, telling them he was making no guarantees but wanted to assure himself that "everything has been looked at before this policy proceeds".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“We just want to save Miss P,” said Emma, “but I make no guarantees about anyone’s birthday.”
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
There were some legitimate failures here: The federal government had guaranteed $535 million in loans to the company, leaving taxpayers on the hook for a significant chunk of change.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
And for many students, recess is one of the few guaranteed opportunities each day to resist that trend, through running, climbing and playing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
And understand that the air bag is not guaranteed to deploy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
We are hardwired, says Coles, to go for the guaranteed £50,000.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
As Cardan walks past the boy, apparently done with him, I am grateful that Cardan has five more worthy brothers and sisters; it’s practically guaranteed that he’ll never sit on the throne.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
"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
Perhaps the most striking number from the report was 16—that’s the number of long-term supply deals Micron has locked in, guaranteeing approximately $100 billion in revenue.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
The U.S. began its campaign with a bang and now sits just one victory from all but guaranteeing a place in the knockout rounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
But when the Legislature voted last year to extend the state climate program, that provision guaranteeing backup funding wasn’t included.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
His competitors soon had their own rolling machines—although Duke had worked out a special arrangement with the machine's makers guaranteeing him a rate 25 percent under the best price charged any other manufacturer.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
