sure

[ shoor, shur ]

adjective

, sur·er, sur·est.

1. free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something:

   to be sure of one's data.

2. confident, as of something expected:

   sure of success.

3. convinced, fully persuaded, or positive:

   to be sure of a person's guilt.

4. assured or certain beyond question:

   a sure victory.

5. worthy of confidence; reliable; stable:

   a sure messenger.

6. unfailing; never disappointing expectations:

   a sure cure.

7. unerring; never missing, slipping, etc.:

   a sure aim.

8. admitting of no doubt or question:

   sure proof.

9. destined; bound inevitably; certain:

   sure death.

10. Obsolete. secure; safe.
11. be sure, to take care (to be or do as specified); be certain:

    Be sure to close the windows.

adverb

1. Informal. certainly; surely:

   It sure is cold out. Sure, I'll come.

sure

/ ʃɔː; ʃʊə /

adjective

1. sometimes foll by of free from hesitancy or uncertainty (with regard to a belief, conviction, etc)

   I am sure that he is lying

   we are sure of the accuracy of the data

2. foll by of having no doubt, as of the occurrence of a future state or event

   sure of success

3. always effective; unfailing

   a sure remedy

4. reliable in indication or accuracy

   a sure criterion

5. (of persons) worthy of trust or confidence

   a sure friend

6. not open to doubt

   sure proof

7. admitting of no vacillation or doubt

   he is very sure in his beliefs

8. bound to be or occur; inevitable

   victory is sure

9. postpositive bound inevitably (to be or do something); certain

   she is sure to be there tonight

10. physically secure or dependable

    a sure footing

11. obsolete.
    free from exposure to harm or danger
12. 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 certain

    be sure and shut the door

    I told him to be sure to shut the door

13. for sure
    without a doubt; surely
14. make sure
    1. takes a clause as object to make certain; ensure
    2. foll by of to establish or confirm power or possession (over)
15. sure enough informal.
    as might have been confidently expected; definitely: often used as a sentence substitute
16. to be sure
    1. without doubt; certainly
    2. it has to be acknowledged; admittedly

adverb

1. informal.
   sentence substitute willingly; yes
2. informal.
   sentence modifier without question; certainly

Confusables Note

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. quick, slow.

Derived Forms

• ˈsureness, noun

Other Words From

• sureness noun
• over·sure adjective
• over·surely adverb
• over·sureness noun
• un·sure adjective
• un·surely adverb
• un·sureness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sure¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sur(e), from Middle French sur, Old French seur, from Latin sēcūrus “carefree”; secure

Word History and Origins

Origin of sure¹

C14: from Old French seur, from Latin sēcūrus secure

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. for sure, as a certainty; surely:

   It's going to be a good day, for sure.

2. make sure, to be or become absolutely certain:

   I'm calling to make sure that you remember to come.

3. sure enough, Informal. as might have been supposed; actually; certainly:

   Sure enough, the picnic was rained out.

4. to be sure,
   1. without doubt; surely; certainly.
   2. admittedly:

      She sings well, to be sure, but she can't act.

More idioms and phrases containing sure

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

Example Sentences

I’m sure future projects will be able to make that possible.

From Los Angeles Times

He said: "I should have made sure that I attended a wider range of games and not just Aberdeen, and I apologise for my error."

From BBC

“When you think about markets and where we want to be sure that we have IndyCar long term, this is a place we want to invest in for sure.”

From Los Angeles Times

Now, politicians, newscasters, podcast hosts and white nationalists were picking up his ideas about pollution and scarcity, immigration and global warming, that fit their agendas, swirling them together with historical tropes about ecology and racist thought and conspiracy theories, not sure, necessarily, where the ideas had come from but eager to trade on their currency.

From Salon

He will manage the press personally, and try to make sure he gets exactly the reporting he wants.

From Salon

Related Words

• assured
• certain
• confident
• decisive
• positive