sure thing
Americannoun
-
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.
interjection
adverb
noun
-
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]
-
Yes indeed, certainly, as in Are you coming tonight?—Sure thing! This use of the idiom as an interjection dates from the late 1800s.
Etymology
Origin of sure thing
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
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.
It seemed a sure thing a few weeks ago that Abdul El-Sayed, the insurgent progressive challenger in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, was leading the race going away.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
He was no childhood prodigy, no sure thing.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
It wasn’t a sure thing the Bob Baker Marionette Theater would even reach this milestone.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Ordinary people had borrowed money to buy stocks because they believed they were a sure thing, and there was no safety net upon which they could fall, except the cold, hard asphalt of the streets.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
Or maybe there’s only one line, but it isn’t a sure thing, solid in its place.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
