Sure
adjectiveConfident and free from doubt that something is true or will happen.
How to spell sure
4 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce sure
What does sure mean?
- adjectiveConfident and free from doubt that something is true or will happen.
- adverbUsed informally to mean certainly or without question.
Sure in a sentence
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adjective
She was sure that she had locked the front door.
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adverb
The trip sure took longer than anyone expected.
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adjective
Make sure the report is finished before the meeting.
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adverb
It sure feels colder this morning than yesterday.
Where does sure come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word traces back to the Latin securus, which literally meant 'free from care' or 'untroubled', built from se- meaning 'without' and cura meaning 'care' or 'worry'. In Old French this became sur or seur, carrying the sense of 'safe' and then 'confident' or 'certain'. English borrowed it in the 1300s, and over time the meaning settled on being free from doubt rather than free from physical danger. The very same Latin securus also gave English the more formal word 'secure', so 'sure' and 'secure' are essentially the same ancient word dressed differently. The spelling trap is that an opening spelled 's-u' is pronounced like 'sh', a leftover of how the French vowel blended with the s, which is why writers sometimes hesitate over those first letters.
How the word is built
- sure (from Latin securus: free from care, safe), arriving via Old French sur
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