sure

sure¹ W1S1 [ʃo: US ʃur] adj

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1¦(certain you know something)¦

2 make sure

3¦(certain about your feelings)¦

4¦(certain to be true)¦

5¦(certain to happen/succeed)¦

6 be sure of (doing) something

7 sure of yourself

8 be sure to do something

9 for sure

10 sure thing

11 to be sure

12 (as) sure as hell

13 have a sure hold/footing

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[Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: sur, from Latin securus; SECURE¹]

1.) ¦(CERTAIN YOU KNOW SOMETHING)¦ [not before noun]

confident that you know something or that something is true or correct

= ↑certain

▪ 'That's Sarah's cousin.' 'Are you sure?'

▪ 'What time does the show start?' 'I'm not sure.'

sure (that)

▪ I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this.

▪ Are you sure that you know how to get there?

▪ My mother, I felt sure , had not met him before.

not sure how/where/when etc

▪ Henry wasn't sure how to answer this.

not sure if/whether

▪ I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing this correctly.

sure of

▪ He wasn't even sure of his mother's name.

▪ They were talking about her, she was sure of that .

sure about

▪ 'That's the man I saw in the building last night.' 'Are you quite sure (=completely sure) about that?'

2.) make sure

a) to find out if something is true or to check that something has been done

▪ 'Did you lock the front door?' 'I think so, but I'd better make sure.'

make sure (that)

▪ I wanted to make sure you were all right.

▪ First, make sure the printer has enough paper in it.

b) to do something so that you can be certain of the result

make sure (that)

▪ I'll walk you home, just to make sure no one bothers you.

make sure of (doing) sth

▪ Spain made sure of their place by holding Japan to a 1-1 draw.

▪ Thomas would be sorry - she would make sure of that .

3.) ¦(CERTAIN ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS)¦ [not before noun]

certain about what you feel, want, like etc

sure (that)

▪ Are you sure you really want a divorce?

sure of

▪ Carla says she is very sure of her love for Tony.

4.) ¦(CERTAIN TO BE TRUE)¦

certain to be true

one thing is (for) sure

▪ One thing's for sure, we'll never be able to move this furniture on our own.

sure sign/indication

▪ Those black clouds are a sure sign of rain.

5.) ¦(CERTAIN TO HAPPEN/SUCCEED)¦

certain to happen, succeed, or have a particular result

sure to do sth

▪ He's sure to get nervous and say something stupid.

sure way to do sth/of doing sth

▪ There was only one sure way of finding out - and that was to visit him.

sure thing/bet

AmE (=something that will definitely happen, win, succeed etc)

6.) be sure of (doing) sth

to be certain to get something or be certain that something will happen

▪ United must beat Liverpool to be sure of winning the championship.

▪ You can be sure of one thing - there'll be a lot of laughs.

7.) sure of yourself

confident in your own abilities and opinions, sometimes in a way that annoys other people

▪ Kids nowadays seem very sure of themselves.

8.) be sure to do sth

spoken used to tell someone to remember to do something

▪ Be sure to ring and let us know you've got back safely.

9.) for sure

a) informal certainly or definitely

▪ No one knows for sure what really happened.

b) spoken used to emphasize that something is true

▪ We'll always need teachers, that's for sure .

c) AmE informal spoken used to agree with someone

10.) sure thing

spoken informal used to agree to something

▪ 'Can you pick me up later?' 'Sure thing.'

11.) to be sure

spoken formal used to admit that something is true, before saying something that is the opposite

▪ It was difficult, to be sure, but somehow we managed to finish the job.

12.) (as) sure as hell

spoken informal used to emphasize a statement

▪ If I could get you out of there, I sure as hell would.

13.) have a sure hold/footing

if you have a sure hold or footing, your hands or feet are placed firmly so they cannot slip

>sureness n [U]

sure ²

sure² adv

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1 sure enough

2¦(yes)¦

3¦(accept thanks)¦

4¦(emphasize)¦

5¦(before statement)¦

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1.) sure enough

used to say that something did actually happen in the way that you said it would

▪ Sure enough, Mike managed to get lost.

2.) ¦(YES)¦

spoken used to say 'yes' to someone

▪ 'Can you give me a ride to work tomorrow?' 'Sure.'

3.) ¦(ACCEPT THANKS)¦

AmE spoken used as a reply when you accept thanks from someone

▪ 'Thanks for your help, Karen.' 'Sure.'

4.) ¦(EMPHASIZE)¦

AmE informal used to emphasize a statement

▪ It sure is hot out here.

▪ I sure hope they get there all right.

5.) ¦(BEFORE STATEMENT)¦

spoken used at the beginning of a statement admitting that something is true, especially before adding something very different

▪ Sure Joey's happy now, but will it last?