surety

American  

[shoor-i-tee, shoor-tee, shur-i-tee, shur-tee] / ˈʃʊər ɪ ti, ˈʃʊər ti, ˈʃɜr ɪ ti, ˈʃɜr ti /

noun

sureties plural

1. security against loss or damage or for the fulfillment of an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.; a pledge, guaranty, or bond.

2. a person who is legally responsible for the debt, default, or delinquency of another.

3. a person who, as a sponsor, godparent, etc., has assumed or accepted responsibility for another's debts or behavior.

4. the state or quality of being sure.

5. certainty.

6. something that makes sure; ground of confidence or safety.

7. assurance, especially self-assurance.

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surety British  

/ ˈʃʊətɪ, ˈʃʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. a person who assumes legal responsibility for the fulfilment of another's debt or obligation and himself becomes liable if the other defaults

2. security given against loss or damage or as a guarantee that an obligation will be met

3. obsolete the quality or condition of being sure

4. obsolete a means of assurance or safety

5. to act as a surety

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oversurety
  noun
• subsurety
  noun
• suretyship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sureties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of surety

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English surte from Middle French; Old French seurte from Latin sēcūritāt-, stem of sēcūritās security

Explanation

A surety is a fact that no one questions. Surety, in a legal sense, is the security you can provide when you apply for a loan. When you're sure of something, you're positive it's true. Such things are sureties, because they inspire such confidence. Also, there's a legal type of surety. If you take out a loan, a house you own could be a surety: it could be claimed by your creditors if you don't repay the loan. That type of surety provides security (or insecurity, if you fail to pay back the loan).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surety sureties

The factory would be able to convince a surety company to provide that coverage if it had a track record of financial success.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

Mr. Lendorf stood out for his unerring, dignified demeanor and the clarity of his pliant upper-body carriage against the marvelous surety of his cats-paw footwork and quietly powerful legwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026

We’re well on the way to a future of absolute weather uncertainty—no surety to forecasts, a weakened ability to transmit emergency alerts—that we’ll nevertheless have to pay for out of our own pockets.

From Slate ● May 22, 2025

“Governments are attempting to give surety, that this is a long-term supply deal,” he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2024

It would be me laid out on that white table, to be examined, to determine surety.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

"They are to provide sureties, who will submit their particulars to the court. So, the 69 suspects have been granted bail and I am processing their paperwork," Ohimor said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2023

Media companies filed a motion seeking the information, but defense attorneys pushed back, saying the sureties could face harassment or threats.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 21, 2023

Requesting £1,000 cash sureties as part of the release terms, Mr Justice Rooney confirmed they are to be prohibited from entering any Tesco stores in the UK.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2023

Legal experts said there was little chance Santos would actually be detained even if his sureties were to back out.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

Here he emphatically denies that bonds or sureties were given by collectors.

From The Loyalists of Massachusetts And the Other Side of the American Revolution by Stark, James H.