I. cer ‧ tain 1 S1 W1 /ˈsɜːtn $ ˈsɜːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ certainty ≠ ↑ uncertainty ; adverb : ↑ certainly ≠ ↑ uncertainly ; adjective : ↑ certain ≠ ↑ uncertain ]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: 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 SYN 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.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say sure rather than certain :
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I’m sure I gave him the money.
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 certain
a) to check that something is correct or true SYN 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 SYN make sure
make certain (that)
Secure the edges firmly to make certain that no moisture can get in.
4 . for certain without doubt SYN for sure
know/say (something) 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 behaviour
in certain circumstances/cases etc
Extra funding may be available in certain circumstances.
6 . a certain
a) 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
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ phrases
▪ it seems certain that …
It seemed certain that the other team would win.
▪ somebody seems/looks/appears certain to do something
For a while the whole project looked certain to fail.
▪ something is by no means certain (=not definite)
Victory was by no means certain for Smith.
▪ something is far from certain (=not definite)
Success is far from certain.
■ adverbs
▪ fairly certain
Opposition to the changes is fairly certain.
▪ almost/virtually certain
It is almost certain that she will be given a prison sentence.
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Prices are virtually certain to increase.
■ nouns
▪ certain death
If they stayed in the war zone, they faced almost certain death.
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THESAURUS (for Meaning 2)
▪ certain if something is certain, you are completely sure that it will happen or is true:
Success seems certain.
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It is almost certain that there will be a change of government.
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Nobody knows exactly who built the manor, but it is certain that an architect called John Sturges supplied the drawings.
▪ definite if something is definite, it is certain because someone has officially stated that it will happen, is true etc:
I hope you can give me a definite answer soon.
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The wedding will be next summer but a definite date has not been arranged yet.
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I’ve got a good chance of getting the job, but it’s not definite yet.
▪ inevitable if something, especially something bad, is inevitable, it is certain to happen and you cannot do anything to prevent it:
War now seems inevitable.
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It was inevitable that he would find out her secret sooner or later.
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Facial wrinkles are the inevitable result of aging.
▪ be bound to if something is bound to happen, it is very likely to happen, especially because that is what usually happens in that kind of situation. Be bound to is less formal than certain and is very common in everyday spoken English:
The kids are bound to be hungry when they get home – they always are.
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My car broke down today. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
▪ be assured of something formal to be certain to get something good, or to be successful:
After the success of its recent single, the band is now assured of a contract with a major record company.
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He is is virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister.
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Our clients are assured of comfortable accommodation and the attention of our trained staff.
▪ something is a foregone conclusion if something is a foregone conclusion, its result is certain even though it has not happened yet:
They were winning by such a large margin that victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
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Party members believe it is a foregone conclusion that he will resign.
II. certain 2 BrE AmE pronoun
certain of somebody/something formal particular people or things in a group:
Certain of the payments were made on Mr Maxwell’s authority.