sure

• sho
• sho'

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”)), Middle English siker (“sure, secure”) (from Old English sicor (“secure, sure”)) with which was cognate.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʃʊə/, /ʃɔː/, /ʃɜː/

  • Audio (Swiss)

    (file)

• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ʃoː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ʃʊɹ/, /ʃɔɹ/, /ʃɝ/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ʃɔɹ/, /ʃɝ/
• (non-rhotic, show-sure merger, AAVE) IPA^(key): /ʃoʊ/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /sjʊəɹ/, /sjuːɹ/, /sɪʊ̯ɹ/
• Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ)
• Homophone: shore (with the cure-force merger)
• Homophones: shaw, Shaw (in non-rhotic dialects with the paw-poor merger)
• Homophone: show (in non-rhotic dialects with the show-sure merger)

sure (comparative surer, superlative surest)

1. Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.

   This investment is a sure thing.   The bailiff had a sure grip on the prisoner's arm.

2. Certain in one's knowledge or belief.
   • 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 222716698, page 58:

     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.

   • 2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1:

     Roy: I'm 95% sure it was him.
     Jen: You... you said you were 99% sure.
     Roy: I'm 97% sure it was him.

   She is sure of herself.

   He is sure she was lying.

   He was sure of being a finalist.

   They aren't completely sure who will attend.

   You seemed sure that the car was his.

3. (followed by a to infinitive) Certain to act or be a specified way.

   Be sure to lock the door when you leave.

4. (obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
   • c. 1590–1591, 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 606515358, [Act V, scene i], page 36, column 1:

     Feare not: the Forreſt is not three leagues off, / If we recouer that, we are ſure enough.

5. (obsolete) Betrothed; engaged to marry.
   • 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.

   • 1632, Richard Brome, The Northern Lass

     I presum'd […] [that] you had been sure, as fast as faith could bind you, man and wife.

• (secure and steadfast): certain, failsafe, reliable, sicker
• (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief): certain, positive, wis

• for sure
• sure as hell
• surely
• sure up

Pages starting with “sure”.

• →⇒ Irish: siúráil
• → Welsh: siwr

sure (comparative more sure, superlative most sure)

1. (modal adverb) Without doubt, certainly.

   Sure he's coming! Why wouldn't he?

   "Did you kill that bear yourself?" ―"I sure did!"

   • 1802, Charles Lamb, John Woodvil

     These high and gusty relishes of life, sure,
     Have no allayings of mortality in them.

2. (archaic) Without fail, surely.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iii:

     Theſe are the wings ſhall make it flie as ſwift,
     As dooth the lightening: or the breath of heauen,
     And kill as ſure as it ſwiftly flies.

• Often proscribed in favor of surely. May be informal.

sure

1. Yes, expressing noncommittal agreement or consent.

   "Do you want me to put this in the garage?" "Sure, go ahead."

2. Yes; of course.

   "Could you tell me where the washrooms are?" "Sure, they're in the corner over there."

3. You're welcome; polite response to being thanked.

   "Thanks for helping me with that electrical fault." "Sure. Any time."

• (noncommittal yes): OK, yes

• 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN

• ERUs, Ersu, Reus, Rues, Ruse, US'er, rues, ruse, suer, ures, user

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

sure

1. present active indicative connegative of surra
2. second-person singular present imperative of surra
3. second-person singular present active imperative connegative of surra

• resu, seur.

• Rhymes: -yʁ

sure

1. feminine singular of sur

sure

1. Alternative spelling of sûre

• “sure”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• rues
• ruse, rusé
• suer
• user

• IPA^(key): /ˈsu.re/
• Rhymes: -ure
• Hyphenation: sù‧re

sure

1. plural of sura

From Old French seür, from Latin sēcūrus. Doublet of siker.

• sur, seur, seure, sewre, sewr, sewere, suer, suere, soure, suir, sere, sore

• IPA^(key): /sɛu̯r/, /siu̯r/, /suːr/

sure (comparative seurer)

1. safe, protected (not dangerous or harmful)
2. fortified, well-defended, protected; especially religiously
3. sure, certain, confirmed
4. sure-minded (certain of one's intent)
5. reliable, of good quality
6. sound, sturdy, hardy

• surely
• surement
• suren
• surenes
• surete

• English: sure
  • →⇒ Irish: siúráil
  • → Welsh: siwr
• Scots: shuir

• “seur, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

sure

1. sure, surely, with no doubt or uncertainty
2. entirely, wholly, fully
3. While protecting something, with protection
4. With a tight grasp or grip

• English: sure
• Scots: shuir

• “seur, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

sure

1. Alternative form of suren

sure

1. Alternative form of sire

From Arabic سُورَة‎ (sūra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).

• sura

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surer, definite plural surene)

1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

sure

1. definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

• “sure” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “sure” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

• ruse, suer, ures

From Arabic سُورَة‎ (sūra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).

• sura

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surar, definite plural surane)

1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

sure

1. definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

• “sure” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• ruse, suer

From Germanic, related to sūr (“sour”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈsuː.re/

sūre f

1. sorrel

sure

1. vocative singular of surā (“a class of liquor”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈsure/

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. genitive/dative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/genitive/dative feminine/neuter plural

sure

1. absolute definite natural masculine singular of sur.

From Ottoman Turkish سوره‎ (sure), from Arabic سُورَة‎ (sūra).

• IPA^(key): /suːˈɾe/

sure (definite accusative sureyi, plural sureler)

1. sura