First Known Use: 1680
Dictionary
1guarantee
noun guar·an·tee \ˌger-ən-ˈtē, ˌgär-, ˌga-rən- also ˈger-ən-ˌ or ˈgär-ən-ˌ, ˈga-rən-ˌ\
Definition of GUARANTEE
1
2
: guaranty 1
3
: an assurance for the fulfillment of a condition: 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
4
: guaranty 4
See guarantee defined for English-language learners
See guarantee defined for kids
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Examples of GUARANTEE
- 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
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Origin of GUARANTEE
probably alteration of 1guaranty (see 1guaranty)
Other Economics Terms
Rhymes with GUARANTEE
abatis, ABC, ABD, abductee, absentee, acquiree, addressee, adoptee, advisee, alienee, allottee, amputee, apogee, appellee, appointee, appraisee, après-ski, arrestee, assignee, attendee, auditee, awardee, axletree, BVD, Baha'i, bain-marie, barley-bree, batterie, billi-bi, boiserie, bonhomie, booboisie, bourgeoisie, brasserie, brusquerie, bumblebee, camphor tree, camporee, cap-a-pie, causerie, Chamonix, Cherokee, chickadee, chickaree, chimpanzee, China Sea, Christmas tree, chroma-key, coati, Coligny, conferee, consignee, cop a plea, Coral Sea, counselee, context-free, counterplea, cruelty-free, Danaë, DDT, debauchee, Debussy, departee, deportee, dernier cri, designee, detainee, devisee, devotee, diploe, disagree, dischargee, divorcé, divorcée, DME, dungaree, duty-free, eau-de-vie, employee, endorsee, enlistee, enrollee, enshrinee, epopee, escadrille, escapee, ESP, evictee, expellee, family tree, fancy-free, fantasy, fedayee, fever tree, filigree, fleur-de-lis, franchisee, fricassee, function key, galilee, Galilee, garnishee, gaucherie, Gemini, Greenland Sea, guarani, Hawaii, HIV, Holy See, honeybee, honoree, housemaid's knee, humble-bee, inductee, Inland Sea, internee, invitee, Irish Sea, IUD, jacquerie, jamboree, Java Sea, Joshua tree, jubilee, Judas tree, jumper's knee, jus soli, Kayseri, kedgeree, kidnappee, killer bee, LCD, LED, legatee, libelee, licensee, LSD, maître d', Malay Sea, manatee, master key, Mormon tea, mortgagee, murderee, NBC, nominee, obligee, oversea, oversee, Park Chung Hee, parolee, parti pris, pass degree, patentee, pedigree, peppertree, perigee, permittee, pharisee, picotee, piroshki, point d'appui, potpourri, praecipe, presentee, promisee, public-key, rapparee, referee, refugee, rejectee, renminbi, repartee, retiree, returnee, RPV, rubber tree, saddletree, Sadducee, sangaree, Savaii, selectee, Semele, shivaree, slotting fee, snickersnee, spelling bee, spindle tree, SST, STD, Tappan Zee, Tenebrae, Tennessee, third degree, thirty-three, TNT, to a tee, toile de Jouy, torii, transferee, tulip tree, undersea, user fee, vaccinee, value-free, varnish tree, verdigris, VIP, vis-à-vis, wannabe, warrantee, Wounded Knee
2guarantee
verb guar·an·tee \ˌger-ən-ˈtē, ˌgär-, ˌga-rən- also ˈger-ən-ˌ or ˈgär-ən-ˌ, ˈga-rən-ˌ\
: to make a usually written promise that whatever you are selling, doing, etc., is what you say it is
: to promise to pay for (something) if another person fails to pay for it
: to say (something) with great confidence
guar·an·teedguar·an·tee·ing
Full Definition of GUARANTEE
transitive verb
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>
See guarantee defined for English-language learners
Examples of GUARANTEE
- 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
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Origin of GUARANTEE
(see 1guarantee)
First Known Use: 1731
Other Economics Terms
GUARANTEES Defined for Kids
1guarantee
noun guar·an·tee \ˌger-ən-ˈtē, ˌgär-\
Definition of GUARANTEE for Kids
1
: a promise that something will be or will happen as stated <a guarantee against defects>
2
: something given as a promise of payment : security
2guarantee
verb
guar·an·teedguar·an·tee·ing
Definition of GUARANTEE for Kids
1
: to make a promise about the condition or occurrence of something <guarantee a car>
2
: to promise to be responsible for the debt or duty of another person <I'll guarantee his loan.>
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