Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - sure

~1 adj 1 »CERTAIN YOU KNOW STH« confident that you know something or that something is true or correct  ("What time does the show start?" "I'm not sure." | sure (that))  (I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this. | Are you sure you know how to get there?) + of  (You need to be sure of your facts before making any accusations.) + abou  ("That's the man I saw in the building last night." "Are you quite sure about that?") not sure how/where/whether etc  (I'm not sure where Michael is, to be honest. | "What time does the show start?" "I'm not sure." | not sure if)  (Mr Watkins isn't sure if he'll be able to come. | pretty sure (=almost certain))  (I'm pretty sure Barbara still works there.) 2 »CERTAIN ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS« certain about what you feel, want, like etc  ("Are you sure you really want a divorce?") 3 make sure a) to find out if something is true or to check that something has been done  ("Did you lock the front door?" " I think so, but I'd better make sure." | make sure (that))  (Emma peered into the room to make sure that Ruth was asleep.) b) to do something so that you can be certain of the result  (make sure (that))  (I made sure that the rope was firmly fastened around his waist. | make sure of sth)  (Ben made sure of winning by betting on all the horses..) 4 »CERTAIN TO BE TRUE« certain to be true  (one thing is (for) sure)  (One thing's for sure, we'll never be able to move this furniture on our own. | sure sign/indication (=a sign that something is certainly going to happen))  (Those black clouds are a sure sign of rain.) 5 »CERTAIN TO SUCCEED« certain to succeed  (sure way/means (=a way of doing something that will certainly achieve a particular result))  (Arriving at work in pyjamas is a sure way of attracting attention to yourself! | a sure bet AmE (=something that is certain to succeed) | a sure thing AmE (=something that will definitely happen, win, succeed etc)) 6 be sure of to be certain to get something or be certain that something will happen  (United must beat Liverpool to be sure of winning the championship. | You can be sure of one thing - there'll be a lot of laughs.) 7 sure of yourself confident in your own abilities and opinions, sometimes in a way that annoys other people  (Kids nowadays seem very sure of themselves.) 8 be sure to do sth spoken used to tell someone to remember to do something  (Be sure to ring and let us know you've got back safely.) 9 sure to do sth certain to happen or to do something  (He's sure to get nervous and say something stupid.) 10 (as) sure as hell spoken especially AmE used to emphasize a statement  (I'm sure as hell not gonna do it.) 11 to be sure BrE spoken used to admit that something is true, before saying something that is the opposite  (Jamie's had his problems to be sure, but he's got potential.) 12 sure thing AmE spoken used to agree to something  ("See you next week?" "Sure thing.") 13 have/get a sure hold/footing if you have a sure hold or footing your hands or feet are placed firmly so they cannot slip  (- see also surely) 14 sure as eggs are eggs BrE old-fashioned used to say that something is definitely true - sureness n ~2 adv 1 for sure spoken a) certainly  (No one knows for sure what really happened.) b) used to emphasize that something is true  (I know one person who won't be happy with the decision, that's for sure.) c) AmE used to agree with someone 2 sure enough used to say that something did actually happen in the way that you said it would  (Sure enough Mike managed to get lost.) 3 »USED TO SAY 'YES'« spoken especially AmE used to say `yes' to someone  ("Can you give me a ride to work tomorrow?" "Sure.") 4 »USED AS A REPLY« AmE spoken used as a way of replying to someone when they thank you  ("Thanks for your help Karen." "Sure.") 5 »USED TO EMPHASIZE STH« AmE informal used to emphasize a statement  (Mom's sure gonna be mad when she gets home.) 6 »USED BEFORE STATEMENT« AmE spoken used at the beginning of a statement admitting that something is true, especially before adding something very different  (Sure Joey's happy now, but will it last?)