sure

[ shoo r, shur ]

/ ʃʊər, ʃɜr /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sure ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sur·er, sur·est.

free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something: to be sure of one's data.

confident, as of something expected: sure of success.

convinced, fully persuaded, or positive: to be sure of a person's guilt.

assured or certain beyond question: a sure victory.

worthy of confidence; reliable; stable: a sure messenger.

unfailing; never disappointing expectations: a sure cure.

unerring; never missing, slipping, etc.: a sure aim.

admitting of no doubt or question: sure proof.

destined; bound inevitably; certain: sure death.

Obsolete. secure; safe.

be sure, to take care (to be or do as specified); be certain: Be sure to close the windows.

adverb

Informal. certainly; surely: It sure is cold out. Sure, I'll come.

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orchard

body of land completely surrounded by water

group of cultivated fruit trees

long mournful cry

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Idioms for sure

for sure, as a certainty; surely: It's going to be a good day, for sure.

make sure, to be or become absolutely certain: I'm calling to make sure that you remember to come.

sure enough, Informal. as might have been supposed; actually; certainly: Sure enough, the picnic was rained out.

to be sure,

without doubt; surely; certainly.
admittedly: She sings well, to be sure, but she can't act.

Origin of sure

1300–50; Middle English sur(e) < Middle French sur, Old French seur < Latin sēcūrus secure

SYNONYMS FOR sure

1 Sure, certain, confident, positive indicate full belief and trust that something is true. Sure, certain, and positive are often used interchangeably. Sure, the simplest and most general, expresses mere absence of doubt. Certain suggests that there are definite reasons that have freed one from doubt. Confident emphasizes the strength of the belief or the certainty of expectation felt. Positive implies emphatic certainty, which may even become overconfidence or dogmatism.

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usage note for sure

Both sure and surely are used as intensifying adverbs with the sense “undoubtedly, certainly.” In this use, sure is generally informal and occurs mainly in speech and written representations of speech: She sure dazzled the audience with her acceptance speech. It was sure hot enough in the auditorium. Surely is used in this sense in all varieties of speech and writing, even the most formal: The court ruled that the law was surely meant to apply to both profit-making and nonprofit organizations. See also quick, slow.

OTHER WORDS FROM sure

sure·ness, nouno·ver·sure, adjectiveo·ver·sure·ly, adverbo·ver·sure·ness, noun

un·sure, adjectiveun·sure·ly, adverbun·sure·ness, noun

Words nearby sure

surcharge, surcingle, surcoat, surculose, surd, sure, sure as shooting, sure cure, sure enough, sure of oneself, sure thing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for surest

Censuring Cuban is the surest way to breed the Donald Sterlings of tomorrow.
Thank You, Mark Cuban, for Speaking Up|Joshua DuBois|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem is, the surest pathway to democratic politics is to support democracy.
Morsi's Miscalculation|Steven Cook|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Deadlock: each side will think their man shaded the other, the surest definition of a stalemate.
At Last, a Passionate Political Debate!|Tunku Varadarajan|October 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At this point, however, many Americans think they have figured out the quickest, surest way to get peace: just go home.
Afghanistan: Negotiating Didn’t Work—Besides, We’re Leaving|Sami Yousafzai|October 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The club had healthy profits and was generating a good amount of cash—one of the surest measures of a well-managed business.
Manchester United: The Glazer Family’s Bad Play|Michael Moritz|August 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The sources of misery in life are many: vice is one of the surest.
The Life of Friedrich Schiller|Thomas Carlyle
The surest way of establishing peace on earth was to make the way of the peacebreaker too hard for rulers to tread.
The Annual Register 1914|Anonymous
It is always the surest guarantee of their intellectual and national independence.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, September 1879|Various
In Spain was the surest, and, with good administration, the most powerful ally.
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783|A. T. Mahan
They say those discourses, like friends, are best and surest that come to our refuge and aid in adversity, and are useful.
Plutarch's Morals|Plutarch

British Dictionary definitions for surest

sure

/ (ʃʊə, ʃɔː) /

adjective

(sometimes foll by of) free from hesitancy or uncertainty (with regard to a belief, conviction, etc)we are sure of the accuracy of the data; I am sure that he is lying

(foll by of) having no doubt, as of the occurrence of a future state or eventsure of success

always effective; unfailinga sure remedy

reliable in indication or accuracya sure criterion

(of persons) worthy of trust or confidencea sure friend

not open to doubtsure proof

admitting of no vacillation or doubthe is very sure in his beliefs

bound to be or occur; inevitablevictory is sure

(postpositive) bound inevitably (to be or do something); certainshe is sure to be there tonight

physically secure or dependablea sure footing

obsolete free from exposure to harm or danger

be sure (usually imperative or dependent imperative; takes a clause as object or an infinitive, sometimes with to replaced by and) to be careful or certainbe sure and shut the door; I told him to be sure to shut the door

for sure without a doubt; surely

make sure

(takes a clause as object) to make certain; ensure
(foll by of) to establish or confirm power or possession (over)

sure enough informal as might have been confidently expected; definitely: often used as a sentence substitute

to be sure

without doubt; certainly
it has to be acknowledged; admittedly

adverb

(sentence substitute) informal willingly; yes

(sentence modifier) informal, mainly US and Canadian without question; certainly

Derived forms of sure

sureness, noun

Word Origin for sure

C14: from Old French seur, from Latin sēcūrus secure

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 surest

sure

In addition to the idioms beginning with sure

sure as shooting
sure cure
sure enough
sure of oneself
sure thing

also see:

for certain (sure)
make sure
slow but sure
to be sure

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

sure

adjective, sur·er, sur·est.

adverb

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Idioms for sure

Origin of sure

SYNONYMS FOR sure

usage note for sure

OTHER WORDS FROM sure

Words nearby sure

Example sentences from the Web for surest

British Dictionary definitions for surest

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of sure

Word Origin for sure

Idioms and Phrases with surest

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

sure

adjective, sur·er, sur·est.

adverb

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!

Idioms for sure

Origin of sure

SYNONYMS FOR sure

usage note for sure

OTHER WORDS FROM sure

Words nearby sure

Words related to surest

Example sentences from the Web for surest

British Dictionary definitions for surest

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of sure

Word Origin for sure

Idioms and Phrases with surest