What does "sure" mean?
Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
Sure
/ʃɔː(ɹ)/ adj, adv, intj
adj, adv, intj ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
- Grammar: sure is listed as adj, adv, intj.
- Nearest alternatives: certain, abiding, absolute, absolutely.
- Useful contrasts: belief, capricious, confidence.
- Usage evidence: You should make sure of the fact without hesitation.
How to use "sure"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sure" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sure" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sure" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sure" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sure" is acting as adj, adv, intj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "certain" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sure", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
"This investment is a sure thing."
- 2 Certain in one's knowledge or belief.
"The very excess of the extravagance, in fact, by suggesting to the reader continually the mere aeriality of the entire speculation, furnishes the surest means of disenchanting him from the horror which might else gather upon his feelings."
- 3 Certain to act or be a specified way.
"Be sure to lock the door when you leave."
- 4 Free from danger; safe; secure. obsolete
"Feare not: the Forreſt is not three leagues off, / If we recouer that, we are ſure enough."
- 5 Betrothed; engaged to marry. obsolete
"c. 1513-1518 (probably date written, published after 1535) Thomas More, History of King Richard III The king was sure to Dame Elizabeth Lucy, and her husband before God."
Adjective
- 1 exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance wordnet
- 2 impossible to doubt or dispute wordnet
- 3 having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured wordnet
- 4 certain to occur; destined or inevitable wordnet
- 5 reliable in operation or effect wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 physically secure or dependable wordnet
- 7 certain not to fail wordnet
- 8 infallible or unfailing wordnet
- 9 (of persons) worthy of trust or confidence wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Without doubt, certainly. modal
"Sure he's coming! Why wouldn't he?"
- 2 Without fail, surely. archaic
"Theſe are the wings ſhall make it flie as ſwift, As dooth the lightening: or the breath of heauen, And kill as ſure as it ſwiftly flies."
Adverb
- 1 definitely or positively (‘sure’ is sometimes used informally for ‘surely’) wordnet
Intj
- 1 Yes; of course.
""Could you tell me where the washrooms are?" "Sure, they're in the corner over there.""
- 2 Yes; I guess; you could say that; a weak or noncommittal positive response.
""Do you like cats?" "Sure.""
- 3 You're welcome; polite response to being thanked.
""Thanks for helping me with that electrical fault." "Sure. Any time.""
Antonyms
Example
"You should make sure of the fact without hesitation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sure"?
Common synonyms include: certain, abiding, absolute, absolutely, accurate, adducible.
How do you use "sure" in a sentence?
You should make sure of the fact without hesitation.
How do you pronounce "sure"?
Pronounced /ʃɔː(ɹ)/.
Etymology
From Middle English sure, seur, sur, from Middle French sur or Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus (“secure”, literally “carefree”), from sē- (“apart”) + cūra (“care”) (compare Old English orsorg (“carefree”), from or- (“without”) + sorg (“care”)). See cure. Doublet of secure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewis, ġewiss (“certain, sure”)), as well as Middle English siker (“sure, secure”) (from Old English sicor (“secure, sure”)) with which it was cognate.