sure thing

noun

Synonyms of sure thingnext
: one that is certain to succeed : a sure bet

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of sure thing in a Sentence

he's a sure thing for the promotion: he's the most qualified candidate by far
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Read more Best Nuggets vs. Thunder player props, ATS bets: Can Denver stun OKC? We last night in Cleveland that heavy favorites in the conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs are no sure thing, as the Pacers (4) beat the Cavs (1) 121-112 as 3-to-1 underdogs on the moneyline. — Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025 Later, the same question returns: risk everything for a better future, or take the sure thing and walk away? — Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 Manning looks like the most sure thing, as boring an answer as that may be, mainly based on pedigree and a couple of starts. — Seth Emerson, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025 The only sure thing as President Donald Trump’s tariffs unfold is that prices of cars and trucks are going up, a livestream panel said Thursday. — Bill Koenig, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sure thing

Word History

First Known Use

1767, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sure thing was in 1767

Rhymes for sure thing

See All Rhymes for sure thing

Browse Nearby Words

sures pardos
sure thing
surette
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sure thing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sure%20thing. Accessed 11 May. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 1

Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

More Words with Remarkable Origins
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 1
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All