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oversure

 - 2 dictionary results

sure

  [shoor, shur] adjective, sur⋅er, sur⋅est, adverb
Use oversure in a Sentence
–adjective
1. free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something: to be sure of one's data.
2. confident, as of something expected: sure of success.
3. convinced, fully persuaded, or positive: to be sure of a person's guilt.
4. assured or certain beyond question: a sure victory.
5. worthy of confidence; reliable; stable: a sure messenger.
6. unfailing; never disappointing expectations: a sure cure.
7. unerring; never missing, slipping, etc.: a sure aim.
8. admitting of no doubt or question: sure proof.
9. destined; bound inevitably; certain: sure death.
10. Obsolete. secure; safe.
11. be sure, to take care (to be or do as specified); be certain: Be sure to close the windows.
–adverb
12. Informal. certainly; surely: It sure is cold out. Sure, I'll come.
—Idioms
13. for sure, as a certainty; surely: It's going to be a good day, for sure.
14. make sure, to be or become absolutely certain: I'm calling to make sure that you remember to come.
15. sure enough, Informal. as might have been supposed; actually; certainly: Sure enough, the picnic was rained out.
16. to be sure,
a. without doubt; surely; certainly.
b. admittedly: She sings well, to be sure, but she can't act.
Origin:
1300–50; ME sur(e) < MF sur, OF seur < L sēcūrus secure

Related forms:
sureness, noun

Synonyms:
1. 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.

Usage note:
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

sure 
c.1300, "safe, secure," later "mentally certain" (c.1450), from O.Fr. sur, seur "safe, secure," from L. securus "free from care, untroubled, heedless, safe" (see secure). Pronunciation development followed that of sugar. As an affirmative meaning "yes, certainly" it dates from 1803, from M.E. meanings "firmly established, having no doubt," and phrases like to be sure (1657), sure enough (1545), and for sure (1586). The use as a qualifier meaning "assuredly" goes back to 1425. Sure-footed is from 1633; sure-fire first attested 1901; sure thing dates from 1836. In 16c.-17c., Suresby was an appellation for a person to be depended upon.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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