adjective
- Having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured.
- usage: "felt certain of success"; "was sure (or certain) she had seen it"; "was very sure in his beliefs"; "sure of her friends"
- synonyms: certain
- Exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance.
- usage: "be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through"; "be sure to lock the doors"
- synonyms: certain
- Certain to occur; destined or inevitable.
- usage: "he was certain to fail"; "his fate is certain"; "In this life nothing is certain but death and taxes- Benjamin Franklin; "he faced certain death"; "sudden but sure regret"; "he is sure to win"
- synonyms: certain
- Physically secure or dependable.
- usage: "a sure footing"; "was on sure ground"
- Reliable in operation or effect.
- usage: "a quick and certain remedy"; "a sure way to distinguish the two"; "wood dust is a sure sign of termites"
- synonyms: certain
- Of persons. ( worthy of trust or confidence)
- usage: "a sure (or trusted) friend"
- synonyms: trusted
- Infallible or unfailing.
- usage: "a sure (or true) sign of one's commitment"
- Certain not to fail.
- usage: "a sure hand on the throttle"
- Impossible to doubt or dispute.
- usage: "indisputable (or sure) proof"
- synonyms: indisputable
adverb
- Definitely or positively (`sure' is sometimes used informally for `surely'. )
- usage: "the results are surely encouraging"; "she certainly is a hard worker"; "it's going to be a good day for sure"; "they are coming, for certain"; "they thought he had been killed sure enough"; "he'll win sure as shooting"; "they sure smell good"; "sure he'll come"
- synonyms: surely, certainly, for sure, for certain, sure enough, sure as shooting
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). sure. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/sure/definitions/1184830 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "sure" http://smartdefine.org/sure/definitions/1184830 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, sure, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/sure/definitions/1184830>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "sure" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/sure/definitions/1184830> |