Phrase guide

sure enough

adv · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adv

Meaning 1

Just as one would expect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable

Qualifier: evaluative

Examples

  • Rain had been predicted for that day and, sure enough, it was beginning to rain.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

definitely or positively (`sure' is sometimes used informally for `surely')

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the results are surely encouraging
  • she certainly is a hard worker
  • it's going to be a good day for sure
  • they are coming, for certain
  • they thought he had been killed sure enough
  • he'll win sure as shooting
  • they sure smell good
  • sure he'll come

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: surely, certainly, sure, for sure, for certain, sure as shooting

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

as supposed or expected

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sure enough, he asked her for money again

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 不出所料 (bùchūsuǒliào) — just as one would expect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 果然 (guǒrán) — just as one would expect
  • Finnish: toden totta — just as one would expect
  • Finnish: totta tosiaan — just as one would expect
  • French: comme il se doit — just as one would expect
  • French: sans surprise — just as one would expect
  • Hungarian: tényleg — just as one would expect
  • Hungarian: valóban — just as one would expect
  • Hungarian: csakugyan — just as one would expect
  • Hungarian: is — just as one would expect
  • Korean: 역시 (yeoksi) — just as one would expect
  • Korean: 아니나 다를까 (anina dareulkka) — just as one would expect
  • Polish: rzeczywiście — just as one would expect
  • Polish: faktycznie — just as one would expect
  • Polish: rzecz jasna — just as one would expect
  • Serbo-Croatian: наравно (naravno) — just as one would expect
  • Spanish: como era de esperar — just as one would expect