guarantee
Americannoun
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guarantees
plural
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a promise or assurance, especially one in writing, that something is of specified quality, content, benefit, etc., or that it will perform satisfactorily for a given length of time.
a money-back guarantee.
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an assurance that another’s obligation will be fulfilled, or something presented as such security; guaranty.
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something that assures a particular outcome or condition.
Wealth is no guarantee of happiness.
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a person who gives a guarantee or guaranty; guarantor.
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a person to whom a guarantee is made.
verb (used with object)
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guarantees,
present (3rd person singular)
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guaranteed,
past participle, past
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guaranteeing
present participle
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to secure, as by giving or taking security.
A credit card guarantees your reservation at the hotel.
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to make oneself answerable for (something) on behalf of someone else who is primarily responsible.
to guarantee the fulfillment of a contract.
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to undertake to ensure for another, as rights or possessions.
The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
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to serve as a warrant or guaranty for.
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to undertake to protect or indemnify.
to guarantee a person against loss.
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to undertake (to do something).
I will guarantee to prove every word I stated.
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to promise (usually followed by a clause as object).
I guarantee that I'll be there.
noun
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a formal assurance, esp in writing, that a product, service, etc, will meet certain standards or specifications
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law a promise, esp a collateral agreement, to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of another
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a person, company, etc, to whom a guarantee is made
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a person, company, etc, who gives a guarantee
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a person who acts as a guarantor
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something that makes a specified condition or outcome certain
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a variant spelling of guaranty
verb
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(also tr) to take responsibility for (someone else's debts, obligations, etc)
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to serve as a guarantee for
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to secure or furnish security for
a small deposit will guarantee any dress
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to undertake to protect or keep secure, as against injury, loss, etc
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to ensure
good planning will guarantee success
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(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to promise or make certain
Usage
What does guarantee mean? A guarantee is a promise or assurance, especially one that is written or legally binding, that something is of a stated quality or will perform as stated, such as a guarantee that a car you purchase will operate correctly. A guarantee is also an assurance of a particular outcome or condition, as in Weather predictions are not guarantees. Weather often changes quickly. To guarantee something is to secure something, as a ticket guarantees entry to a movie showing. As well, to guarantee is to promise to do something, usually by signing a legally binding agreement, as in The company guaranteed me a job when I signed the contract. Example: I guarantee you will love your purchase and will give you a full refund if you don’t.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonguaranteenoun
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preguaranteenoun
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reguaranteenoun
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superguaranteenoun
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quasi-guaranteedadjective
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unguaranteedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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guaranteesimple
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guaranteessimple
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have guaranteedperfect
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has guaranteedperfect
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am guaranteeingprogressive
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are guaranteeingprogressive
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is guaranteeingprogressive
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have been guaranteeingperfect progressive
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has been guaranteeingperfect progressive
Past
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guaranteedsimple
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had guaranteedperfect
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was guaranteeingprogressive
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were guaranteeingprogressive
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had been guaranteeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of guarantee
First recorded in 1670–80; alteration of guaranty
Explanation
To guarantee is to promise or to a make binding agreement. If a baseball player guarantees his team will win the World Series, he better not lead the league in strikeouts. Guarantee is a word that is both a noun and a verb: the noun means "a binding agreement" and the verb is the act of making that agreement. This word seems to have come from garante, the Spanish word for "protect" and it's related to the Old French word warrant, which means "to authorize." Today, we often come across guarantee in advertisements, and you might wonder how they might guarantee to make your social life better if your teeth are whiter!
Vocabulary lists containing guarantee
Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Frindle
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"The Constitution"
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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.
See Examples For:
Home Depot doesn’t guarantee a refund, though it does give some on a case-by-case basis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Despite the uncertainty, Sharp said one thing is clear: “I can guarantee you no one is moving because of this, but we’re keeping our sandbags ready.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Even then, Antonelli will guarantee the title if he finishes ninth, or 10th if it's Hamilton.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
And while past returns are no guarantee of future performance, the historical record looks solid.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026
“Then I guarantee you,” she said, “that they going to do their best to keep it from being their life. You mark my words.”
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Carrick, though, says he does not need guarantees over his position.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Except the U.S. guarantees the right to a secret ballot, which means it’s pretty much impossible to tell what someone was thinking when they bubbled in their preferred candidates.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
To seal the deal, Tan intervened with 11th-hour concessions, agreeing to higher interest rates and guarantees to cover an Anthropic default.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Thanks to its sterling credit rating, it had already agreed to provide some financial guarantees to make banks more comfortable with the sizable risk of lending over $40 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
To the left of this paper sat another, which had been folded so that a story bearing the title ministry guarantees students’ safety was visible.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Bodin said that Villa Vie had guaranteed at least 15 to 20 years’ worth of sailing for the Odyssey’s resident passengers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The ceasefire will be guaranteed by "the physical presence of both ombudsmen: Ukrainian and Russian" on the ground, Lubinets's office told journalists.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
But a bank deposit is only guaranteed up to a certain amount.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Some songs you’re guaranteed to hear every time — Radiohead’s “Creep” and Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” are staples — but some performers choose more subversive tracks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Those tags guaranteed that the workers who made those garments were treated better.
From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell
Kazakhstan's Rybakina is assured of replacing Sabalenka at the top of the rankings, guaranteeing that by reaching the semi-finals.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
And short of guaranteeing that someone gets slapped across the face every year, count on the Oscars to try to regain its distinction while courting viewers however possible.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Larry Ellison is personally guaranteeing the equity needed for Paramount to buy Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Both political camps have been protesting ahead of the negotiations, which according to the US State Department, will focus on rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening the electorate and guaranteeing political participation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Constitutional amendments guaranteeing African Americans “equal protection of the laws” and the right to vote proved as impotent as the Emancipation Proclamation once a white backlash against Reconstruction gained steam.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
