8 PHRASE You say sure enough , especially when telling a story, to confirm that something was really true or was actually happening. □ We found the English treacle pudding too good to resist. Sure enough, it was delicious.
9 PHRASE If you say that something is for sure or that you know it for sure , you mean that it is definitely true. □ One thing's for sure, his vocal style hasn't changed much over the years.
10 PHRASE If you make sure that something is done, you take action so that it is done. □ Make sure that you follow the instructions carefully.
11 PHRASE If you make sure that something is the way that you want or expect it to be, you check that it is that way. □ He looked in the bathroom to make sure that he was alone.
12 PHRASE If you say that something is a sure thing , you mean that you are certain that it will happen or be successful. [INFORMAL ] □ This proposal is by no means a sure thing.
13 PHRASE If you are sure of yourself , you are very confident about your own abilities or opinions. □ I'd never seen him like this, so sure of himself, so in command. SYNONYMS sure ADJ 1
certain: It wasn't a balloon–I'm certain of that.
positive: 'She's never late. You sure she said eight?'—'Positive.'
definite: Mary is very definite about this.
convinced: He was convinced that I was part of the problem.
su re-fire also surefire ADJ [ADJ n] A sure-fire thing is something that is certain to succeed or win. [INFORMAL ] □ …a surefire best seller.
su re-foo ted also surefooted
1 ADJ A person or animal that is sure-footed can move easily over steep or uneven ground without falling. □ My horse is small but wiry and sure-footed.
2 ADJ If someone is sure-footed , they are confident in what they are doing. □ The party was growing increasingly sure-footed.
sure|ly ◆◇◇ /ʃʊə r li/
1 ADV You use surely to emphasize that you think something should be true, and you would be surprised if it was not true. [EMPHASIS ] □ You're an intelligent woman, surely you realize by now that I'm helping you. □ If I can accept this situation, surely you can.
2 ADV [ADV before v] If something will surely happen or is surely the case, it will definitely happen or is definitely the case. [FORMAL ] □ He knew that under the surgeon's knife he would surely die. □ He is an artist, just as surely as Rembrandt or any other first-rate portrait painter is one.
3 PHRASE If you say that something is happening slowly but surely , you mean that it is happening gradually but it is definitely happening. □ Slowly but surely she started to fall in love with him.
sure|ty /ʃʊə r I ti/ (sureties ) N‑VAR A surety is money or something valuable which you give to someone to show that you will do what you have promised. □ The insurance company will take warehouse stocks or treasury bonds as surety.
surf /sɜː r f/ (surfs , surfing , surfed )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Surf is the mass of white bubbles that is formed by waves as they fall upon the shore. □ …surf rolling onto white sand beaches.
2 VERB If you surf , you ride on big waves in the sea on a special board. □ [V ] I'm going to buy a surfboard and learn to surf. □ [V n] I'm going to be surfing bigger waves when I get to Australia! ● surf|er (surfers ) N‑COUNT □ …this small fishing village, which continues to attract painters and surfers.
3 VERB If you surf the internet, you spend time finding and looking at things on the internet. [COMPUTING ] □ [V n] No one knows how many people currently surf the Net. ● surf|er (surfers ) N‑COUNT □ Net surfers can use their credit cards to pay for anything from toys to train tickets.
sur|face ◆◆◇ /sɜː r f I s/ (surfaces , surfacing , surfaced )
1 N‑COUNT The surface of something is the flat top part of it or the outside of it. □ 97% of all the water on the Earth's surface is salt. □ …tiny little waves on the surface of the water. □ Its total surface area was seven thousand square feet.
2 N‑COUNT A work surface is a flat area, for example the top of a table, desk, or kitchen cupboard, on which you can work. □ It can simply be left on the work surface.
3 N‑SING When you refer to the surface of a situation, you are talking about what can be seen easily rather than what is hidden or not immediately obvious. □ Back in Britain, things appear, on the surface, simpler. □ Social unrest is never far below the surface in the capital.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] Surface is used to describe the parts of the armed forces which travel by ship or by land rather than underwater or in the air. □ In contrast with its surface fleet, Britain's submarine force was relatively small.
5 VERB If someone or something under water surfaces , they come up to the surface of the water. □ [V ] He surfaced, gasping for air.
6 VERB When something such as a piece of news, a feeling, or a problem surfaces , it becomes known or becomes obvious. □ [V ] The paper says the evidence, when it surfaces, is certain to cause uproar.
7 VERB When someone surfaces , they appear after not being seen for some time, for example because they have been asleep. [INFORMAL ] □ [V ] What time do you surface? SYNONYMS surface NOUN 1
exterior: In one ad the viewer scarcely sees the car's exterior.
outside: …the outside of the building.