- certain
- cer|tain1 W1S1 [ˈsə:tn US ˈsə:r-] adj[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: Vulgar Latin certanus, from Latin certus 'decided, certain', from cernere 'to sift, decide']1.) [not before noun]confident and sure, without any doubts= ↑sure certain (that)▪ I'm absolutely certain that I left the keys in the kitchen.▪ I felt certain that I'd passed the test.certain who/what/how etc▪ I'm not certain when it will be ready.certain about/of▪ Now, are you certain about that?▪ They were watching him. He was certain of it.2.) if something is certain, it will definitely happen or is definitely true▪ It now seems certain that there will be an election in May.▪ Many people look certain to lose their jobs.▪ It is wise to apply early to be certain of obtaining a place.▪ It's not certain where he lived.▪ His re-election was considered virtually certain .▪ It is by no means certain that the deal will be accepted.▪ If they stayed in the war zone they would face certain death .3.) make certaina) to check that something is correct or true= ↑make sure make certain (that)▪ We need to make certain that it's going to fit first.b) to do something in order to be sure that something will happen= ↑make sure make certain (that)▪ Secure the edges firmly to make certain that no moisture can get in.4.) for certainwithout doubt= ↑for sureknow/say (sth) for certain▪ I know for certain it's in here somewhere.that's/one thing's for certain▪ One thing's for certain, he won't be back.5.) [only before noun]used to talk about a particular person, thing, group of things etc without naming them or describing them exactly▪ The library's only open at certain times of day.▪ I promised to be in a certain place by lunchtime.▪ There are certain things I just can't discuss with my mother.certain kind/type/sort▪ the expectation of a certain kind of behaviourin certain circumstances/cases etc▪ Extra funding may be available in certain circumstances.6.) a certaina) used to say that an amount is not great▪ You may need to do a certain amount of work in the evenings.to a certain extent/degree(=partly, but not completely)▪ I do agree with his ideas to a certain extent.b) enough of a particular quality to be noticed▪ There's a certain prestige about going to a private school.c) formal used to talk about someone you do not know but whose name you have been told▪ a certain Mr Franks▬▬▬▬▬▬▬COLLOCATES for sense 2it is/seems certain (that)be/appear/look/seem certain to do somethingbe certain of (doing) somethingit is not certain whether/how etcalmost/virtually/practically certainfairly certainby no means certain/far from certain (=not definite)certain death▬▬▬▬▬▬▬certain 2certain2 proncertain of sb/sthformal particular people or things in a group▪ Certain of the payments were made on Mr Maxwell's authority.
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.