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:
Two years ago, the bosses canceled a sacrosanct German jobs guarantee and argued that Volkswagen needed to take the unprecedented step of closing a German factory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
On “Obsession,” the complaint says, Darby was paid $300,000 out of the film’s initial minimum guarantee after Tea Shop directed her company, Runt Productions, to invoice for “Services: Obsession.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Risk-aversion on the part of budget-conscious studio executives means many studios have preferred to launch films through their own tightly controlled premieres instead of at festivals, which provide no guarantee of rave reviews from critics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
A group of transgender service members and prospective recruits challenged the policy under the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
“And after the episode airs,” added Jenny, “I guarantee you’ll find a forever home.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
There are no guarantees a deal will come together, as talks could still fall apart or another suitor could emerge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Bitcoin may be a form of digital money, but its code guarantees a fixed supply, taking debasement off the table.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
But Charter executives have discussed exiting that relationship, which guarantees the team about $200 million a year in revenue, according to people familiar with the company’s plans who were not authorized to comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Sydney has dominated this season, currently placing second on the ladder which guarantees them a spot in the qualifying and elimination finals' round that begins in two weeks.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“No guarantees she'll remember you, or speak, but she's having quite a good day. See that yellow building, out the back, just through them trees? That's us.”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
But there is one small part of the new school year that is guaranteed to enthrall students, parents, and teachers alike.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
By adopting Nvidia’s platform to assist customers in developing custom AI processors, clients can quickly scale from silicon to rack with the custom chips guaranteed to work seamlessly together with Nvidia’s GPUs, they note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The clubs reached an agreement on a deal worth a guaranteed £60m plus a further £5m in add-ons for the Senegal winger.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
That’s based on history, and it is not guaranteed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Those tags guaranteed that the workers who made those garments were treated better.
From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell
Congress settled that conflict decades ago by law, guaranteeing the paper’s editorial independence.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Research by one Bristol food writer has raised questions about transparency, with some creators guaranteeing positive coverage in advance and offering not to make clear their review was in exchange for a free meal.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The company in July said it would start guaranteeing the quality of its Whoppers, committing to remake orders on the spot if customers deem them unsatisfactory, and providing a future Whopper for free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 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
When we say the search for life elsewhere is important, we are not guaranteeing that it will be easy to find—only that it is very much worth seeking.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
