sure

[ shoo r, shur ]

/ ʃʊər, ʃɜr /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sure ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sur·er, sur·est.

free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something: to be sure of one's data.

confident, as of something expected: sure of success.

convinced, fully persuaded, or positive: to be sure of a person's guilt.

assured or certain beyond question: a sure victory.

worthy of confidence; reliable; stable: a sure messenger.

unfailing; never disappointing expectations: a sure cure.

unerring; never missing, slipping, etc.: a sure aim.

admitting of no doubt or question: sure proof.

destined; bound inevitably; certain: sure death.

Obsolete. secure; safe.

be sure, to take care (to be or do as specified); be certain: Be sure to close the windows.

adverb

Informal. certainly; surely: It sure is cold out. Sure, I'll come.

Idioms for sure

for sure, as a certainty; surely: It's going to be a good day, for sure.

make sure, to be or become absolutely certain: I'm calling to make sure that you remember to come.

sure enough, Informal. as might have been supposed; actually; certainly: Sure enough, the picnic was rained out.

to be sure,

without doubt; surely; certainly.
admittedly: She sings well, to be sure, but she can't act.

Origin of sure

1300–50; Middle English sur(e) < Middle French sur, Old French seur < Latin sēcūrus secure

SYNONYMS FOR sure

1 Sure, certain, confident, positive indicate full belief and trust that something is true. Sure, certain, and positive are often used interchangeably. Sure, the simplest and most general, expresses mere absence of doubt. Certain suggests that there are definite reasons that have freed one from doubt. Confident emphasizes the strength of the belief or the certainty of expectation felt. Positive implies emphatic certainty, which may even become overconfidence or dogmatism.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sure ON THESAURUS.COM

usage note for sure

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. See also quick, slow.

OTHER WORDS FROM sure

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

Words nearby sure

surcharge, surcingle, surcoat, surculose, surd, sure, sure as shooting, sure cure, sure enough, sure of oneself, sure thing

Example sentences from the Web for unsureness

Free Dawtie from unsureness about God, and she has no fear left.

The Elect Lady |George MacDonald
No man was sure of his neighbor, and each was conscious that he stood in like unsureness with his fellows.

Children of the Frost |Jack London
There was nothing of that afternoon's unsureness of foot in the way Lanyard moved forward.

Alias The Lone Wolf |Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for unsureness

sure

/ (ʃʊə, ʃɔː) /

adjective

(sometimes foll by of) free from hesitancy or uncertainty (with regard to a belief, conviction, etc) we are sure of the accuracy of the data; I am sure that he is lying

(foll by of) having no doubt, as of the occurrence of a future state or event sure of success

always effective; unfailing a sure remedy

reliable in indication or accuracy a sure criterion

(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence a sure friend

not open to doubt sure proof

admitting of no vacillation or doubt he is very sure in his beliefs

bound to be or occur; inevitable victory is sure

(postpositive) bound inevitably (to be or do something); certain she is sure to be there tonight

physically secure or dependable a sure footing

obsolete free from exposure to harm or danger

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

for sure without a doubt; surely

make sure

(takes a clause as object) to make certain; ensure
(foll by of) to establish or confirm power or possession (over)

sure enough informal as might have been confidently expected; definitely: often used as a sentence substitute

to be sure

without doubt; certainly
it has to be acknowledged; admittedly

adverb

(sentence substitute) informal willingly; yes

(sentence modifier) informal, mainly US and Canadian without question; certainly

Derived forms of sure

sureness, noun

Word Origin for sure

C14: from Old French seur, from Latin sēcūrus secure

Idioms and Phrases with unsureness

sure

In addition to the idioms beginning with sure

sure as shooting
sure cure
sure enough
sure of oneself
sure thing

also see:

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sure

adjective, sur·er, sur·est.

adverb

Idioms for sure

Origin of sure

SYNONYMS FOR sure

usage note for sure

OTHER WORDS FROM sure

Words nearby sure

Example sentences from the Web for unsureness

British Dictionary definitions for unsureness

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of sure

Word Origin for sure

Idioms and Phrases with unsureness

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sure

adjective, sur·er, sur·est.

adverb

Idioms for sure

Origin of sure

SYNONYMS FOR sure

usage note for sure

OTHER WORDS FROM sure

Words nearby sure

Words related to unsureness

Example sentences from the Web for unsureness

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for unsureness

adjective

adverb

Derived forms of sure

Word Origin for sure

Idioms and Phrases with unsureness

British Dictionary definitions for unsureness