sure
sure Lexical Profile
sure Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Completely confident that one is right; free from doubt or uncertainty.
"Are you completely sure that you locked the front door before we left?"
Bound or destined to happen, perform an action, or achieve a result without fail.
"With her extensive preparation and talent, she is sure to win the scholarship."
True beyond any doubt; reliable, unfailing, or indisputable.
"The sudden return of the swallows is a sure sign that warmer weather has arrived."
Steady, firm, and not likely to slip, falter, or err.
"The surgeon guided the scalpel with a steady and sure hand."
• interjection
Used to express assent, agreement, or willingness to comply with a request or suggestion.
""Could you help me carry these boxes upstairs?" "Sure, I'd be happy to.""
• adverb
North American Without doubt; certainly or indeed (used informally for emphasis).
"It sure was cold waiting at the train station this morning."
Word Nuance & Usage
When describing a person's mental state of certainty, 'sure' is used almost exclusively as a predicate adjective (e.g., 'I am sure of the answer,' never 'a sure person' in that sense), whereas it can be used attributively to mean reliable or inevitable (e.g., 'a sure sign of spring').
• Rhymes for sure
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French 'sur' (earlier 'seur'), which derives from the Latin 'securus' ('free from care, safe, untroubled'), making it an etymological doublet of 'secure'.