guar·an·tee
ˌger-ən-ˈtē 
ˈga-rən-
ˌgär-,
ˌga-rən-,
also ˈger-ən-ˌtē,
or
ˈgär-ən-
ˈga-rən-
1
2
3
: an assurance for the fulfillment of a condition: such as
a
: an agreement by which one person undertakes to secure another in the possession or enjoyment of something
b
: an assurance of the quality of or of the length of use to be expected from a product offered for sale often with a promise of reimbursement
The washer comes with a guarantee against major defects.
4
guaranteed; guaranteeing; guarantees
1
: to undertake to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of
guarantee a loan
2
: to engage for the existence, permanence, or nature of : undertake to do or secure
guarantee the winning of three tricks
3
: to give security to
guaranteed her against loss
4
: to assert confidently
I guarantee you'll like it
Synonyms
Examples of guarantee in a Sentence
Noun
And as key pieces of the infrastructure are knocked out, there is no guarantee that they will be repaired or rebuilt, at least not as they were before.
—
Naomi Klein, Harper's, October 2007
It might be no bad thing if the Constitution's guarantee of "equal protection of the laws" was interpreted to outlaw the vagaries of voting …
—Michael Kinsley, New York Times Book Review, 5 Nov. 2006
Collecting can be a sort of love-sickness. If you begin collecting living things, … even if you manage to find them and then possess them, there is no guarantee they won't die or change.
—Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 1995
The washer comes with a guarantee against major defects.
They wanted a guarantee that the document was authentic.
They want the new contract to include a guarantee of job security.
The U.S. Constitution includes guarantees against unreasonable searches.
He cited the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.
Verb
They're called change agents. They swoop in to transform stodgy institutions … . It's a risky tack, one that guarantees large numbers of people will hate the boss's guts.
—Daniel McGinn, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2005
For an incumbent President … . The power of the office and the media coverage its holder is guaranteed for just doing his job generally give him the luxury of staying above the fray.
—Joe Klein, Time, 22 Mar. 2004
Voucher plans were adopted largely as a last resort, an effort to guarantee a semblance of school choice for low-income minority students in failing inner-city schools.
—Jeffrey Rosen, New Republic, 18 Mar. 2002
The washer is guaranteed against defects for one year.
They guarantee that the diamonds they sell are top quality.
He offered to personally guarantee the loan.
The investment was guaranteed by the bank.
I guarantee that you'll be satisfied.
He guaranteed us that everything would go according to plan.
Money doesn't guarantee a happy life.
He guaranteed a victory in the championship game.
Naomi Klein, Harper's, October 2007
It might be no bad thing if the Constitution's guarantee of "equal protection of the laws" was interpreted to outlaw the vagaries of voting …
—Michael Kinsley, New York Times Book Review, 5 Nov. 2006
Collecting can be a sort of love-sickness. If you begin collecting living things, … even if you manage to find them and then possess them, there is no guarantee they won't die or change.
—Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 1995
The washer comes with a guarantee against major defects.
They wanted a guarantee that the document was authentic.
They want the new contract to include a guarantee of job security.
The U.S. Constitution includes guarantees against unreasonable searches.
He cited the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.
Verb
They're called change agents. They swoop in to transform stodgy institutions … . It's a risky tack, one that guarantees large numbers of people will hate the boss's guts.
—Daniel McGinn, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2005
For an incumbent President … . The power of the office and the media coverage its holder is guaranteed for just doing his job generally give him the luxury of staying above the fray.
—Joe Klein, Time, 22 Mar. 2004
Voucher plans were adopted largely as a last resort, an effort to guarantee a semblance of school choice for low-income minority students in failing inner-city schools.
—Jeffrey Rosen, New Republic, 18 Mar. 2002
The washer is guaranteed against defects for one year.
They guarantee that the diamonds they sell are top quality.
He offered to personally guarantee the loan.
The investment was guaranteed by the bank.
I guarantee that you'll be satisfied.
He guaranteed us that everything would go according to plan.
Money doesn't guarantee a happy life.
He guaranteed a victory in the championship game.
Recent Examples on the WebHelen Rummel, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
That means Trump could be paying as much as $3.5 million on an annual basis for the bond guarantee from Knight Insurance.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
This is a rough categorization and not a guarantee of heart problems to come.
—Sarah Klein, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
There are no guarantees that such outbursts will happen during the eclipse, but Raouafi said measurements of the solar wind from space will still be crucial to understanding the effects of the sun’s activity on Earth.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 31 Mar. 2024
There are no guarantees Kiki Iriafen will drain a 3-point shot or punctuate a Stanford fastbreak with a slam dunk in the NCAA Tournament.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
The watch comes with a five-year transferable guarantee that Tudor points out is valid without registration or mandatory maintenance checks.
—Carol Besler, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The guarantee was previously only available for trips departing in October.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2024
One thing Henry guarantees is that each upcoming film adaptation will be directed by someone who has her fans' best interests at heart.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Sean Gregory, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.
—Marcia Dunn, Twin Cities, 7 Apr. 2024
In the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, the U.S. pledged to provide assistance, including military assistance, to help Ukraine defend itself and to guarantee its territorial integrity (though, of course, without sending U.S. troops).
—Mariia Hlyten, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2024
If security is not guaranteed, many warn, the front-line communities will whither, and the rest of the country — 260 miles in length and 70 miles at its widest point, roughly the size of New Jersey — will be in the crosshairs.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Right to Counsel Coalition, a group that has pushed to guarantee free legal counsel for low-income Detroiters facing eviction, said the program is a good start but faces a funding shortfall.
—Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
This contrasts with the drama and comedy series races, which are guaranteed at least eight nominee slots regardless of the number of submissions.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
In court filings, Rosen cited the irreversible nature of the death penalty, and thus the inability to guarantee due process, as grounds for the petition.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Only the best organic ingredients make it into the company’s line of surprisingly affordable topicals, guaranteed to meet anyone’s needs.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
The stressors have brought on fears of layoffs and the elimination of the school's tuition guarantee for future students.
—Helen Rummel, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
That means Trump could be paying as much as $3.5 million on an annual basis for the bond guarantee from Knight Insurance.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
This is a rough categorization and not a guarantee of heart problems to come.
—Sarah Klein, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
There are no guarantees that such outbursts will happen during the eclipse, but Raouafi said measurements of the solar wind from space will still be crucial to understanding the effects of the sun’s activity on Earth.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 31 Mar. 2024
There are no guarantees Kiki Iriafen will drain a 3-point shot or punctuate a Stanford fastbreak with a slam dunk in the NCAA Tournament.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
The watch comes with a five-year transferable guarantee that Tudor points out is valid without registration or mandatory maintenance checks.
—Carol Besler, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The guarantee was previously only available for trips departing in October.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2024
One thing Henry guarantees is that each upcoming film adaptation will be directed by someone who has her fans' best interests at heart.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Verb
Clark is all but guaranteed to keep that momentum going.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.
—Marcia Dunn, Twin Cities, 7 Apr. 2024
In the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, the U.S. pledged to provide assistance, including military assistance, to help Ukraine defend itself and to guarantee its territorial integrity (though, of course, without sending U.S. troops).
—Mariia Hlyten, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2024
If security is not guaranteed, many warn, the front-line communities will whither, and the rest of the country — 260 miles in length and 70 miles at its widest point, roughly the size of New Jersey — will be in the crosshairs.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Right to Counsel Coalition, a group that has pushed to guarantee free legal counsel for low-income Detroiters facing eviction, said the program is a good start but faces a funding shortfall.
—Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
This contrasts with the drama and comedy series races, which are guaranteed at least eight nominee slots regardless of the number of submissions.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
In court filings, Rosen cited the irreversible nature of the death penalty, and thus the inability to guarantee due process, as grounds for the petition.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Only the best organic ingredients make it into the company’s line of surprisingly affordable topicals, guaranteed to meet anyone’s needs.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guarantee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near guarantee
Cite this Entry
“Guarantee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guarantee. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
guarantee
1 of 2 noun
guar·an·tee
ˌgar-ən-ˈtē
ˌgär-
guarantee
2 of 2 verb
guaranteed; guaranteeing
1
: to promise to answer for the debt, failure to perform, or faulty performance of another
2
: to promise that some condition holds or will be fulfilled
guarantee a car against defects for one year
guaranteed annual wage
3
: to give security : secure
Legal Definition
guarantee
noun
guar·an·tee
ˌgar-ən-ˈtē, ˌgär-
1
2
3
: an assurance that a condition will be fulfilled: as
a
: an agreement by which one person undertakes to secure another in the possession or enjoyment of something
b
: an assurance of the quality or of the length of use to be expected from a product offered for sale often with a promise of reimbursement
4
: guaranty sense 4, 5
constitutional guarantees
guarantee
transitive verb
Etymology
Noun
probably alteration of guaranty
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