| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024sure /ʃʊr/USA pronunciation adj., sur•er, sur•est, adv. adj. - (of a person) free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something: [be + ~ (+ of/about)]Are you sure? —Well, I'm pretty sure. She was very sure of her facts.[be + ~ + (that) clause]was sure (that) she had told him.
- confident, as of something expected: [be/feel + ~ + of]They felt sure of success.[be + ~ + (that) clause]He was sure (that) he wouldn't fail again.
- convinced, fully persuaded, or positive:[be + ~]to be sure of a person's honesty.
- assured or certain beyond question:[before a noun]a sure victory.
- never missing or disappointing;
unfailing:[before a noun]This investment is a sure thing. - allowing for no doubt or question:[before a noun]Those high clouds are a sure sign of snow.
- destined;
certain:[be + ~ + to + verb]It is sure to happen.
adv. - Informal Termscertainly;
surely:She sure acts funny sometimes.
Idioms- Idioms be or make sure, to take care (to be or do as specified): [be + ~ + to + verb]Be sure to set your alarm clock.[make + ~ + (that) clause]Could you make sure (that) everything is OK with our checking account?
- Idioms for sure, without a doubt;
surely;
for certain:We'd like to know for sure if you're on our side. - Idioms, Informal Terms sure enough, [Informal.]as might have been expected;
certainly:As soon as I brought the car to the service station, sure enough the weird sound went away.
sure•ness, n. [uncountable] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024sure (shŏŏr, shûr),USA pronunciation adj., sur•er, sur•est, adv. adj. - free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something:to be sure of one's data.
- confident, as of something expected:sure of success.
- convinced, fully persuaded, or positive:to be sure of a person's guilt.
- assured or certain beyond question:a sure victory.
- worthy of confidence;
reliable;
stable:a sure messenger. - unfailing;
never disappointing expectations:a sure cure. - unerring;
never missing, slipping, etc.:a sure aim. - admitting of no doubt or question:sure proof.
- destined;
bound inevitably;
certain:sure death. - [Obs.]secure;
safe. - be sure, to take care (to be or do as specified);
be certain:Be sure to close the windows. - for sure, as a certainty;
surely:It's going to be a good day, for sure. - make sure, to be or become absolutely certain:I'm calling to make sure that you remember to come.
- Informal Terms sure enough, as might have been supposed;
actually;
certainly:Sure enough, the picnic was rained out. - to be sure:
- without doubt;
surely;
certainly. - admittedly:She sings well, to be sure, but she can't act.
adv. - Informal Termscertainly;
surely:It sure is cold out. Sure, I'll come.
- Latin sēcūrus secure
- Middle French sur, Old French seur
- Middle English sur(e) 1300–50
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged Sure, certain, confident, positive indicate full belief and trust that something is true. Sure, certain, and positive are often used interchangeably. Sure, the simplest and most general, expresses mere absence of doubt. Certain suggests that there are definite reasons that have freed one from doubt. Confident emphasizes the strength of the belief or the certainty of expectation felt. Positive implies emphatic certainty, which may even become overconfidence or dogmatism.
Both sure and surely are used as intensifying adverbs with the sense "undoubtedly, certainly.'' In this use, sure is generally informal and occurs mainly in speech and written representations of speech:She sure dazzled the audience with her acceptance speech.It was sure hot enough in the auditorium.Surely is used in this sense in all varieties of speech and writing, even the most formal:The court ruled that the law was surely meant to apply to both profit-making and nonprofit organizations.See also quick, slow. |