sure

adjective \ ˈshu̇r , especially Southern ˈshȯr \

Definition of sure

surer; surest

1 obsolete :safe from danger or harm

2 :firmly established :steadfast

a sure hold

3 :reliable, trustworthy

a sure friend

4 a :marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty

I'm sure I'm right

b :characterized by a lack of wavering or hesitation

sure brush strokes

a sure hand

5 :admitting of no doubt :indisputable

spoke from sure knowledge

6 a :bound to happen :inevitable

sure disaster

b :bound, destined

is sure to win

7 :careful to remember, attend to, or find out something

be sure to lock the door

—

sureness

noun

— for sure

:without doubt or question :certainly

— to be sure

:it must be acknowledged :admittedly

See sure defined for English-language learners

See sure defined for kids

Examples of sure in a Sentence

She's not sure who will be there.
Are you sure you want to go?
Are you sure about that?
She'll be there, I'm sure of it.
Are you sure of the results?
The return of the robins is a sure sign of spring.
The letter is a sure indication that she cares.
Pizza is a sure crowd pleaser.
The surest way to lose weight is with diet and exercise.
One sure way to improve your health is to stop smoking.

Recent Examples of sure from the Web

Another great feature—especially for uneven pavement or gravel lots—is the cooker's legs, which adjust independently to make sure the grilltop is flat even on unbalanced surfaces.

— the si staff, SI.com, "Get Ready for Fall with These Must-Have Tailgating Accessories," 31 Aug. 2017
The department should re-evaluate its early intervention program for identifying potentially problematic behavior by officers to make sure patterns are not missed.

— gina barton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "DOJ draft details recommendations for Milwaukee police," 30 Aug. 2017
That disaster relief cut appears sure to be reversed as floodwaters cover Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city, and more than 17,000 Texans have sought refuge in shelters.

— alan fram and andrew taylor, chicagotribune.com, "Disaster relief tops congressional agenda; GOP eyes $1B disaster fund cut to build wall," 30 Aug. 2017
The designer of all things unicorn, rainbow, and glitter has come back into our lives with a sportswear collaboration that is sure to blow the minds of all those who owe their ‘

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Lisa Frank for Reebok Is the Most Magical Sneaker Collab EVER," 30 Aug. 2017
If so then Haden makes a ton of sense considering Miami isn’t too sure who starts opposite second-year cornerback Xavien Howard at this point.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Should the Miami Dolphins pursue cornerback Joe Haden?," 30 Aug. 2017
What colleges work the hardest to make sure students succeed while also emphasizing public service and research?

— cleveland.com, "Washington Monthly ranks colleges on the good they do: See how Ohio schools did," 30 Aug. 2017
Pressed into duty on both sides of the football Saturday at Edwardsville, Calcagno made sure his mind was squarely in the right place.

— blake baumgartner, Naperville Sun, "Nick Calcagno scores four TDs as Naperville North overcomes 42-0 deficit," 29 Aug. 2017
Also be sure to check out the Salmon Tiradito Ceviche featuring sliced salmon with creamy scallop leche de tigre, avocado, chalaca and olive oil.

— laurie delk, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Cool dishes to beat the heat," 29 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sure

Middle English seur, sure, from Anglo-French seur, from Latin securus secure

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

sure Synonyms

Synonyms

assured, clear, cocksure, confident, doubtless, implicit, positive, sanguine, certain

Antonyms

doubtful, dubious, uncertain, unsure

Related Words

self-assured, self-conceited, self-confident; decisive, resolute, unfaltering, unhesitating, unquestioning, unwavering

Near Antonyms

hesitant, indecisive, vacillating, wavering; diffident, unassuming

Synonym Discussion of sure

sure, certain, positive, cocksure mean having no doubt or uncertainty. sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance.

- felt sure that I had forgotten something

certain may apply to a basing of a conclusion or conviction on definite grounds or indubitable evidence.

- police are certain about the cause of the fire

positive intensifies sureness or certainty and may imply opinionated conviction or forceful expression of it.

- I'm positive that's the person I saw

cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness.

- you're always so cocksure about everything

sure

adverb

Definition of sure

:surely

See sure defined for English-language learners

sure vs. surely

Most commentators consider the adverb sure to be something less than completely standard; surely is usually recommended as a substitute. Our current evidence shows, however, that sure and surely have become differentiated in use. Sure is used in much more informal contexts than surely. It is used as a simple intensive

- I can never know how much I bored her, but, be certain, she sure amused me
- —Norman Mailer

and, because it connotes strong affirmation, it is used when the speaker or writer expects to be agreed with.

- it's a moot point whether politicians are less venal than in Twain's day. But they're sure as the devil more intrusive
- —Alan Abelson
- he sure gets them to play
- —D. S. Looney

Surely, like sure, is used as a simple intensive

- I surely don't want to leave the impression that I had an unhappy childhood
- —E. C. Welsh

but it occurs in more formal contexts than sure. Unlike sure it may be used neutrally—the reader or hearer may or may not agree

- it would surely be possible, within a few years, to program a computer to construct a grammar
- —Noam Chomsky

and it is often used when the writer is trying to persuade.

- surely a book on the avant-garde cannot be so conventional
- —Karl Shapiro

Examples of sure in a Sentence

we sure could use your help here

Recent Examples of sure from the Web

Sure enough, what began as a small role has grown and grown over the course of Veep’s six seasons.

— anna silman, The Cut, "Veep’s Secret Weapon," 29 Aug. 2017
And sure enough, there are more than 10,000 Peppers now at work in SoftBank stores, Pizza Huts, cruise ships, homes, and elsewhere.

— james surowiecki, WIRED, "Chill: Robots Won’t Take All Our Jobs," 18 Aug. 2017
Rico Suave, sure has changed since Hannah Montana ended six years ago.

— stacey grant, Seventeen, "Lilly and Rico Had A "Hannah Montana" Reunion at Jackson's Wedding," 14 Aug. 2017
That means making sure that investigators aren’t adjudicators and tribunals are truly impartial.

— david french, National Review, "Trump’s Education Department Takes on the Campus-Rape Lie," 17 July 2017
Sure there's luxury buildings with a 24-hour doorman, on-site concierge, and full-service spa.

— kirsten korosec, Fortune, "This Apartment Comes With A Chauffeur-Driven Volvo," 11 July 2017
Sure enough, to paraphrase Twain, the copy resembled the original as a lightning bug resembles lightning.

— christopher reynolds, chicagotribune.com, "Tracking Mark Twain by marks he left in Nevada and California," 21 June 2017
Award-winning, acclaimed, sure, but Denis was resolutely straight ahead.

— Longreads, "The Tears of Denis Johnson," 17 June 2017
And sure enough, nearly all of the 12 candidates in the current round of expansion are contingent on public resources.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SoccerCity might be in jeopardy here, but not soccer," 16 June 2017

First Known Use of sure

14th century

sure Synonyms

Synonyms

all right, alright, assuredly, certainly, clearly, definitely, doubtless, easily, forsooth, hands down, inarguably, incontestably, incontrovertibly, indisputably, plainly, really, so, indeed, surely, truly, unarguably, undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably

Related Words

conceivably, likely, perhaps, possibly, probably; obviously, unmistakably

SURE Defined for English Language Learners

sure

adjective

Definition of sure for English Language Learners

: not having any doubt about something : convinced or certain
: not allowing any doubt or possibility of failure
: known to be true or correct

sure

adverb

Definition of sure for English Language Learners

—used to say “yes” or to agree to a request or suggestion
—used to disagree with a negative statement or suggestion
—used to emphasize that you agree with the first part of the statement that you are about to make

SURE Defined for Kids

sure

adjective \ ˈshu̇r \

Definition of sure for Students

surer; surest

1 :having no doubt :certain

… he could not be sure if the scream awakened him or the pain in his stomach.
—Gary Paulsen, Hatchet

2 :true without question

3 :firmly established

a sure grip

4 :reliable, trustworthy

a sure remedy

5 :bound to happen

sure disaster

6 :bound as if by fate

You are sure to win.

sure

adverb

Definition of sure for Students

1 :surely 1

2 :surely 2

Sure, we'll be there.

“Well, you sure gave me some bad moments. I almost passed out …”
—Oliver Butterworth, The Enormous Egg

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sure

Definition of sure

sure vs. surely

Examples of sure in a Sentence

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First Known Use of sure

sure Synonyms

Synonyms

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SURE Defined for English Language Learners

sure

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sure

Definition of sure for English Language Learners

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