sure 1 S1 W1 / ʃɔ $ ʃʊr / 形容词 #

1 certain you know something [名词前不用] confident that you know something or that something is true or correct 同义词 certain :

‘That’s Sarah’s cousin.’ ‘Are you sure?’

‘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 that you know how to get there?

My mother, I felt sure , had not met him before.

not sure how/where/when etc

Henry wasn’t sure how to answer this.

not sure if/whether

I’m not sure if I’m 代词 cing this correctly.

sure of

He wasn’t even sure of his mother’s name.

They were talking about her, she was sure of that .

sure about

‘That’s the man I saw in the building last night.’ ‘Are you quite sure (= completely sure ) about that?’

Register

In writing, people often prefer to use certain rather than sure , because it sounds more formal:

We cannot be certain what causes this phenomenon.

2 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)

I wanted to make sure you were all right.

First, make sure the printer has enough paper in it.

b) to do something so that you can be certain of the result

make sure (that)

I’ll walk you home, just to make sure no one bothers you.

make sure of (doing) something

Spain made sure of their place by holding Japan to a 1–1 draw.

Thomas would be sorry – she would make sure of that .

3 certain about your feelings [名词前不用] certain about what you feel, want, like etc

sure (that)

Are you sure you really want a divorce?

sure of

Carla says she is very sure of her love for Tony.

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

Those black clouds are a sure sign of rain.

5 certain to happen/succeed certain to happen, succeed, or have a particular result

sure to do something

He’s sure to get nervous and say something stupid.

sure way to do something/of doing something

There was only one sure way of finding out – and that was to visit him.

sure thing/bet American English (= something that will definitely happen, win, succeed etc )

6 be sure of (doing) something 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 something spoken used to tell someone to remember to do something :

Be sure to ring and let us know you’ve got back safely.

9 for sure

a) informal certainly or definitely :

No one knows for sure what really happened.

b) spoken used to emphasize that something is true :

We’ll always need teachers, that’s for sure .

c) American English informal spoken used to agree with someone

10 sure thing spoken informal used to agree to something :

‘Can you pick me up later?’ ‘Sure thing.’

11 to be sure spoken formal used to admit that something is true, before saying something that is the opposite :

It was difficult, to be sure, but somehow we managed to finish the job.

12 (as) sure as hell spoken informal used to emphasize a statement :

If I could get you out of there, I sure as hell would.

13 have a sure hold/footing if you have a sure hold or footing, your hands or feet are placed firmly so they cannot slip

— sureness 名词 [不可数名词]

COLLOCATIONS

副词

quite sure Are you quite sure she won’t mind?

pretty sure I’m pretty sure it was the same woman who called the office last week.

absolutely sure Don’t throw anything away until you are absolutely sure you won’t need it again.

not quite/entirely sure ‘What are they?’ ‘I’m not entirely sure.’

not exactly sure I’m not exactly sure when the funeral is.

not very/too sure Make a list of any words or 短语 whose meaning you are not too sure about.

not at all sure By now, we were not at all sure where we were.

THESAURUS

sure 形容词 believing that something is definitely true or correct : I’m sure that you’re right. | ‘The car was a BMW’ ‘Are you sure?’ | I’m not sure what the best thing to do is.

certain 形容词 completely sure. Certain is more formal than sure , and it is very commonly used in writing : The police were certain that they had found the killer. | I think he’s married, but I’m not certain about it.

convinced 形容词 ure that something is true, even though you cannot prove it : She became convinced that her boyfriend was seeing someone else. | Brown’s wife was convinced of his innocence.

positive 形容词 especially spoken completely sure that something is true, especially when other people are not sure : She said she was positive that the exam was next Tuesday. | I’m absolutely positive I haven’t made a mistake.

satisfied 形容词 ure that you know the truth about something that has happened, because you have enough information : The authorities are now satisfied that her death was an accident.

confident 形容词 ure that something good will happen or that you will achieve something : Doctors are confident that he’ll make a full recovery. | A spokesman said the government was confident of winning the vote.

have no doubt ( also be in no doubt ) 动词 短语 to have no doubts in your mind about something : I have no doubt that his story is true. | He was in no doubt about what he should do next.

know 动词 to have a strong feeling that something is true or correct : I just know that she will love this necklace. | When the phone rang, we knew something terrible must have happened.

sure 2 S3 adverb #

1 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. 2 yes spoken used to say ‘yes’ to someone :
‘Can you give me a ride to work tomorrow?’ ‘Sure.’ 3 accept thanks American English spoken used as a reply when you accept thanks from someone :
‘Thanks for your help, Karen.’ ‘Sure.’ 4 emphasize American English informal used to emphasize a statement :
It sure is hot out here. I sure hope they get there all right. 5 before statement 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?