/ ʃʊə(r); ʃɔː(r); NAmE ʃʊr/ adjective , adverb
■ adjective ( surer , sur·est )
HELP NOTE : You can also use more sure and most sure , especially in sense 1.
1.
[ not before noun ] sure (of / about sth) | sure (that ... ) confident that you know sth or that you are right
SYN certain :
'Is that John over there?' ' I'm not sure '.
You don't sound very sure.
I'm pretty sure (that) he'll agree.
Are you sure you don't mind?
I hope you are sure of your facts.
Are you sure about that?
Ask me if you're not sure how to do it.
I'm not sure whether I should tell you this.
OPP unsure
2.
[ not before noun ] sure of sth / of doing sth certain that you will receive sth or that sth will happen :
You're always sure of a warm welcome there.
England must win this game to be sure of qualifying for the World Cup.
3.
sure to do sth certain to do sth or to happen :
The exhibition is sure to be popular.
It's sure to rain.
➡ note at certain
4.
[ usually before noun ] that can be trusted or relied on :
It's a sure sign of economic recovery.
There's only one sure way to do it.
He is a sure bet for the presidential nominations (= certain to succeed) .
➡ note at certain
5.
[ usually before noun ] steady and confident :
We admired her sure touch at the keyboard.
•
IDIOMS
- be sure to do sth
- for sure
- make sure (of sth / that ... )
- sure of yourself
- sure thing
- to be sure
■ adverb ( informal , especially NAmE )
1.
used to say 'yes' to sb :
'Will you open the wine?' 'Sure, where is it?'
Did it hurt? Sure it hurt.
2.
used to emphasize sth that you are saying :
Boy, it sure is hot.
'Amazing view'. 'Sure is.'
That song sure as hell sounds familiar.
He sure looked unhappy.
3.
used to reply to sb who has just thanked you for sth :
'Thanks for the ride.' 'Sure—anytime.'
•
IDIOMS
- (as) sure as eggs is eggs
- sure enough
••
SYNONYMS
sure
confident ♦ convinced ♦ certain ♦ positive
These words all describe sb who knows without doubt that sth is true or will happen.
sure
[not before noun] without any doubt that you are right, that sth is true, that you will get sth or that sth will happen:
'Is that John over there?' 'I'm not sure.'
•
Are you sure about that?
•
England must win this game to be sure of qualifying.
NOTE
Sure is often used in negative statements and questions, because there is some doubt or anxiety over the matter. If there is no doubt, people often say quite sure :
I'm quite sure (that) I left my bag here (= I have no doubt about it) .
confident
completely sure that sth will happen in the way that you want or expect:
I'm quite confident that you'll get the job.
•
The team feels confident of winning.
NOTE
Confident is a stronger and more definite word than sure and is more often used in positive statements, when you feel no anxiety.
convinced
[not before noun] completely sure that sth is true or right, especially because the evidence seems to prove it or sb else has persuaded you to believe it:
I'm convinced that she's innocent.
certain
[not usually before noun] sure that you are right or that sth is true:
Are you absolutely certain about this?
sure or certain?
Like sure , certain is often used in negative statements and questions. It is slightly more formal than sure ; sure is more frequent, especially in spoken English.
positive
[not before noun] ( rather informal ) completely sure that sth is true:
She was positive that he'd been there.
•
'Are you sure?' 'Positive.'
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
sure / confident / convinced / certain / positive about sth
sure / confident / convinced / certain of sth
sure / confident / convinced / certain / positive that...
sure / certain who / what / how , etc.
to be / feel / seem / sound sure / confident / convinced / certain / positive
quite / absolutely / completely / fairly / pretty sure / confident / convinced / certain / positive
not altogether sure / confident / convinced / certain
(not) very sure / confident
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French sur , from Latin securus free from care.