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:
Lecornu will meet with representatives from five unions on Wednesday to discuss "ways and means to guarantee the essential freedom to demonstrate" according to a letter sent to the organisations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
"The special committees have not reached agreement on terms of any transaction and there's no guarantee that they will," Musk added.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
But the purpose of accreditation is to guarantee more than the mere absence of one specific—albeit serious—form of discrimination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
If an insurer fails, a state guarantee association steps in.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
A real estate market meltdown might cause these companies to lose money; there was no guarantee that they would actually go bankrupt.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
At the moment, F1 is pressing ahead with the Middle Eastern races, having been given what it considers suitable security guarantees and reassurances.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
A major concern for CoreWeave is that it heavily relies on credit guarantees from customers, Seaport analyst Jay Goldberg wrote in a Thursday note.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Last month, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil met with Orcel seeking guarantees over the bank's future.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Four months earlier, he had signed a three-year contract that included $35 million in guarantees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
When Steve Eisman stumbled into this new, rapidly growing industry of specialty finance, the mortgage bond was about to be put to a new use: making loans that did not qualify for government guarantees.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Musk says that both companies have formed special board committees to discuss a potential merger, adding that he serves on neither committee and that no deal is guaranteed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
However, the seven-time winner at the Crucible now faces a battle to maintain his place within the 16-man group guaranteed automatic entry to the World Championship.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
SpaceX’s June IPO raised $86 billion with founder Elon Musk guaranteed near complete control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
I was able to get a $10,000 guaranteed life-insurance policy for him, which may just cover final expenses.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
“It will be inconvenient to avoid it, and there is no guaranteed benefit.”
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
New York City, Washington state and Minnesota have adopted rules in recent years guaranteeing drivers earn a minimum amount per mile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Season-ticket packages had been available, guaranteeing seats for each London game with a discount, but they were scrapped after the 2024 season.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 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
Larry Ellison is personally guaranteeing the equity needed for Paramount to buy Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
He was Hoede’s personal Squaller and often traveled with the merchant’s most precious cargos, guaranteeing favorable winds to bring the ships safely and quickly to harbor.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
