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Synonyms

sure-fire

British  

adjective

  1. informal (usually prenominal) certain to succeed or meet expectations; assured

"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

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.

A supposed sure-fire gold medal disappeared in stunning fashion with Ilia Malinin’s eighth-place collapse.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

The problem, of course, is that this isn't a sure-fire solution and, if it was going to happen, it needed to happen fast.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2024

It almost sounds too good to be true, but what are the long-term prospects and consequences for a pharmaceutical company that discovers a sure-fire winner?

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2024

Environmental experts say one sure-fire way to reduce aviation emissions is to reduce how much we fly.

From National Geographic • Dec. 8, 2023

Then, as happens so often, the preacher turned over his hole-card, the sure-fire card.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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.