sure en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- [ʃʉːɾ] (Northern-Ireland, Scotland)
- /ʃoː/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ʃɝ/ (Canada) cure–fir merger
- /ʃuːɐ/ (Northumbria)
- /ʃuɚ/ (New-York-City)
- /sjuːɹ/ (obsolete)
- /ʃoʊ/ non-rhotic, show–sure merger, African-American Vernacular
- /sjʊəɹ/ (obsolete)
- /ʃɔː/ pour–poor merger
- /ʃʉɹ/ (Northern-Ireland)
- /ʃoː/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ʃʊɹ/ (General-American)
- /ʃʊə/ without the pour–poor merger
- /ʃʉɾ/ (Northern-Ireland, Scotland)
- /sɪʊ̯ɹ/ (obsolete)
- /ʃɔɹ/ (General-American) pour–poor merger
- /ʃɔɹ/ (Canada)
- /ˈʃuːɹ/ (Ireland)
- /ʃɝ/ (General-American) cure–fir merger
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English sure, seur, sur, from Middle French sur or Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus (“secure”, literally “carefree”), from sē- (“apart”) + cūra (“care”) (compare Old English orsorg (“carefree”), from or- (“without”) + sorg (“care”)). See cure. Doublet of secure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewis, ġewiss (“certain, sure”)), as well as Middle English siker (“sure, secure”) (from Old English sicor (“secure, sure”)) with which it was cognate.
Meanings
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Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
The bailiff had a sure grip on the prisoner's arm.
This investment is a sure thing.
'In the end,' said Mustapha Mond, 'the Controllers realized that force was no good. The slower but infinitely surer methods of ectogenesis, Neo-Pavlovian conditioning and hypnopædia…'
1932, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, London: Chatto & Windus:
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Certain in one's knowledge or belief.
Are you sure to succeed, as polls say? —Well, I am at least certain of making it to the podium this time.
They aren't sure who will attend for sure.
Roy: I'm 95% sure it was him. Jen: You... you said you were 99% sure. Roy: I'm 97% sure it was him.
2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1He was sure of being a finalist.
You seemed sure that the car was his. Yeah. I’m not sure what is the point of spending hours and hours discussing this.
The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 58:The very excess of the extravagance, in fact, by suggesting to the reader continually the mere aeriality of the entire speculation, furnishes the surest means of disenchanting him from the horror which might else gather upon his feelings.
1827, Thomas De Quincey, On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts:
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(followed by a to infinitive) Certain to act or be a specified way.
Be sure to lock the door when you leave.
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Certain to obtain something.
Many people book early in order to be sure of the best seats.
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(obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
Feare not: the Forreſt is not three leagues off, / If we recouer that, we are ſure enough.
c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 36, column 1:
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(obsolete) Betrothed; engaged to marry.
I presum'd […] [that] you had been sure, as fast as faith could bind you, man and wife.
1632, Richard Brome, The Northern Lass:c. 1513-1518 (probably date written, published after 1535) Thomas More, History of King Richard III The king was sure to Dame Elizabeth Lucy, and her husband before God.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| surest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| sho' | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sho | alternative | lexicographic | |
| surer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
sure as the sun is going to rise tomorrow · surety · sure-enough · sure as eggs are eggs · sure as fate · sure-handedness · surefooted · sure bet · sure-footedness · sure of oneself · damn sure · I'm sure · sure thing · sureness · sure hand at the tiller · sureball · sure as eggs is eggs · footsure · make sure · sure hand on the tiller · snowsure · sure as eggs · to be sure · sure as shooting · sure as the world · are you sure you're sure · as sure as eggs is eggs · unsured · sure-handed · sure-footed · sure-handedly · sure as a gun · sureseater · sure as shit · cock-sure · sure up · oversure · cocksure · unsure · self-sure · as sure as eggs are eggs · sure as the sun is going to rise tomorrow morning · sure as death and taxes · sure as hell · sure as taxes · sure-fire · surely · sure as the sun is going to come up tomorrow morning · sure enough · slow but sure wins the race · sure as the sun is going to come up tomorrow · sure as sugar · for sure · sure as death
Descendants
Synonyms
failsafe (secure and steadfast) · reliable (secure and steadfast) · positive (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief) · wis (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief) · certain (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief) · sicker (secure and steadfast) · certain (secure and steadfast)
Translations (139)
hi निश्चित (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · uk упе́внений (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · hu mindenképpen (certain to act or be) · tl sigurado (certain, reliable) · cs jistý (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sc sicuru (certain, reliable) · ro sigur (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · la certus (certain, reliable) · it sicuro (certain, reliable) · rm siir (certain, reliable) · nb sikker (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · pam siguradu (certain, reliable) · ro cert (certain, reliable) · mk сигурен (certain, reliable) · ka დარწმუნებული (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · gl certo (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · vec siguro (certain, reliable) · ro sigur (certain, reliable) · fr sûr (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sc securu (certain, reliable) · pt certo (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · vec sigur (certain, reliable) · vec çerto (certain, reliable) · ajp متأكِّد (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · mk уверен (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · nl zeker (certain, reliable) · ko 확실하다 (certain, reliable) · ru уве́ренный (certain, reliable) · ru ве́рный (certain, reliable) · fr certain (certain, reliable) · hy վստահ (certain, reliable) · it sicuro (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sl gotov (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · hu biztos (certain, reliable) · it certo (certain, reliable) · hi निश्चित (certain, reliable) · rm segir (certain, reliable) · sco shuir (certain, reliable) · scn certu (certain, reliable) · cy sicr (certain, reliable) · eu seguru (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · ro cert (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · bg уве́рен (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · cmn 確定 /确定 (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · rup sigur (certain, reliable) · be пэ́ўны (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · ast seguru (certain, reliable) · de stichhaltig (certain, reliable) · acw مُتأكِّد (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · be упэ́ўнены (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · es cierto (certain, reliable) · fa مطمئن (certain, reliable) · pam mapiwu (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sh у̀верен (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · fi varma (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · pl pewien (certain, reliable) · ja 確か (certain, reliable) · sh си̏гӯран (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sc siguru (certain, reliable) · ja 確信した (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · el βέβαιος (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · pam makasiguru (certain, reliable) · ga deimhin (certain, reliable) · fur ciert (certain, reliable) · vi chắc chắn (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · fr sûr (certain, reliable) · rm sgür (certain, reliable) · bg си́гурен (certain, reliable) · de sicher (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sh sȉgūran (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · is viss (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · ga dearfa (certain, reliable) · sh ùveren (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · fr certain (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · cy siŵr (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · bg си́гурен (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · ka სანდო (certain, reliable) · it certa (certain, reliable) · gl certo (certain, reliable) · de hieb- und stichfest (certain, reliable) · ko 확실하다 (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · es seguro (certain, reliable) · da sikker (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · cmn 確定 /确定 (certain, reliable) · eu seguru (certain, reliable) · scn siguro (certain, reliable) · cs jistý (certain, reliable) · gl seguro (certain, reliable) · ca segur (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sv säker (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · rm sieir (certain, reliable) · he בָּטוּחַ (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · el ασφαλής (certain, reliable) · pl pewny (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · eo certa (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · oc segur (certain, reliable) · hy հաստատուն (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · pdt wess (certain, reliable) · it sicura (certain, reliable) · sv säker (certain, reliable) · pt certo (certain, reliable) · fur sigûr (certain, reliable) · es seguro (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · fi varma (certain, reliable) · pt seguro (certain, reliable) · hi पक्का (certain, reliable) · ca segur (certain, reliable) · sc seguru (certain, reliable) · uk пе́вний (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · gd deimhinn (certain, reliable) · vec serto (certain, reliable) · de sicher (certain, reliable) · ar مُتَأَكِّد (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · fr sûre (certain, reliable) · uk упе́внений (certain, reliable) · lld cert (certain, reliable) · cy siwr (certain, reliable) · el σίγουρος (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · gd cinnteach (certain, reliable) · nl zeker (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · mk сигурен (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · ang ġewiss (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · cy sicr (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · sk istý (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · pl pewny (certain, reliable) · he בָּטוּחַ (certain, reliable) · es tener claro (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · lld cërt (certain, reliable) · scn sicuru (certain, reliable) · tr emin (certain, reliable) · vec seguro (certain, reliable) · ru уве́ренный (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · de wasserdicht (certain, reliable) · ru надёжный (certain, reliable) · ar أَكِيد (certain, reliable) · es no dudarlo (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · ccc akachelo'ta (certain, reliable) · swb na yakini (certain in one's knowledge or belief) · nrf seux (certain, reliable)