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SURE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance
Example:
be sure to lock the doors
Synonyms:
certain; sure
Classified under:
Similar:
careful (exercising caution or showing care or attention)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Impossible to doubt or dispute
Example:
indisputable (or sure) proof
Synonyms:
indisputable; sure
Classified under:
Similar:
certain (established beyond doubt or question; definitely known)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
Example:
sure of her friends
Synonyms:
certain; sure
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
confident; convinced; positive (persuaded of; very sure)
Attribute:
certainty (the state of being certain)
assurance; authority; confidence; self-assurance; self-confidence; sureness (freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities)
Antonym:
unsure (lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance)
Derivation:
sureness (freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Certain to occur; destined or inevitable
Example:
he is sure to win
Synonyms:
certain; sure
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
bound; destined ((usually followed by 'to') governed by fate)
doomed; fated ((usually followed by 'to') determined by tragic fate)
foreordained; predestinate; predestined (established or prearranged unalterably)
in for (certain to get or have)
Also:
predictable (capable of being foretold)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Reliable in operation or effect
Example:
wood dust is a sure sign of termites
Synonyms:
certain; sure
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
dependable; reliable (worthy of reliance or trust)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Physically secure or dependable
Example:
was on sure ground
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
secure (free from danger or risk)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Certain not to fail
Example:
a sure hand on the throttle
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
steady (not subject to change or variation especially in behavior)
Derivation:
sureness (the quality of being steady and unfailing)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Infallible or unfailing
Example:
a sure (or true) sign of one's commitment
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
true (consistent with fact or reality; not false)
Derivation:
sureness (freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities)
Sense 9
Meaning:
(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence
Example:
a sure (or trusted) friend
Synonyms:
sure; trusted
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
trustworthy; trusty (worthy of trust or belief)
II. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Definitely or positively ('sure' is sometimes used informally for 'surely')
Example:
sure he'll come
Synonyms:
certainly; for certain; for sure; sure; sure as shooting; sure enough; surely
Classified under:
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Context examples:
"Miss Elliot, I am sure you are tired," cried Mrs Croft.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
I was not quite sure whether they had locked the door; and when I dared move, I got up and went to see.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
“Dat Buck for sure learn queek as anyt’ing.”
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
YOUR bones are young enough, I'm sure!
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
You see, they're sure of us, only they know they've got to wait to get us.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
“You seem pretty sure of him,” said he; “and for your sake, I hope you may be right. If it came to a trial, your name might appear.”
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
“Now,” said he, “there's your friends, sure enough.”
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
I don’t want you to commit yourself too far unless you are sure.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I started forward and exclaimed, “Villain! Before you sign my death-warrant, be sure that you are yourself safe.”
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
To reduce the risks, make sure that the facility is clean, safe and has a good reputation.
(Piercing and Tattoos, NIH)
