Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for sure thing on Thesaurus.com something that is or is supposed to be a certain success, as a bet or a business venture: He thinks that real estate is a sure thing. something assured; certainty: It's a sure thing that he'll refuse to cooperate. Show More
Origin of sure thing An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for sure thing belief ,
certainty ,
cinch ,
destiny ,
lock ,
surety ,
positiveness ,
shoo-in ,
cert ,
definiteness ,
surefire Examples from the Web for sure thing Contemporary Examples of sure thing Just ask Eddie Murphy, who lost his “sure-thing” Oscar following back-to-back dud speeches for Dreamgirls.
Turns out McCain took the right-leaning pro-Israel world's sure-thing, and cast it aside.
The passage of health-care reform will suddenly shift from sure-thing to nail-biter.
Historical Examples of sure thing Talk of loaded dice, or any of the sure-thing gambling devices!
The community pays the bill for the benefit of the sure-thing gambler.
We have some sure-thing players with us, but he is not one of them.
Fore! Charles Emmett Van Loan
Uh course, I aim to beat him to it, but Happy never does like to have a sure-thing.
Denied a sure-thing victory They were forced to call off Their war—with violent internal results.
British Dictionary definitions for sure thing (sentence substitute) mainly US all right! yes indeed! used to express enthusiastic assent Show More
something guaranteed to be successful Show More
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
Idioms and Phrases with sure thing 1 a sure thing . A certainty, as in Making the bestseller list has been a sure thing for Stephen King . This usage originally alluded to a bet that one could not lose. [First half of 1800s]
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2 Yes indeed, certainly, as in Are you coming tonight?—Sure thing! This use of the idiom as an interjection dates from the late 1800s.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
