to see to it

107 3.5

Make sure something gets done

phrasal verb

: asegurarse de

I made a promise to Steff that I would see to it that you did.
let us see to it

Parents and teachers too should see to it that he knows the soothing sounds of praise.

Autoplay Next

Examples

I will see to it that the project is finished by the deadline.
However, I'll see to it that they accept your challenge.

Francis of Assisi (1961)
You and your lawyer saw to it... ...that everything made it into the papers.

Lock Up (1989)
- We'll see to it that you can.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
My father promised her he would see to it that I learned the language.

Fiction book (1990)
I'll see to it right away.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
In the other direction, they see to it that the center receives information about the local situation.

Academic text (1990)
I promise I'll do everything in my power to see to it you're treated fairly.

The Hitcher (1986)
And for heaven's sake, my young friend, see to it that you don't have to sneak back again.

Spartacus (1960)
I'll see to it.

The Cobweb (1955)

Synonyms

to see

vsto see to it

∞ 1.0

To check whether something is true or has happened

causes actions to happen and accepts responsibility for their proper completion

to make sure

vsto see to it

∞ 1.1

Check or do something so you are sure about it

accepts responsibility to cause tasks to be completed rather than only verifying them

to ensure

vsto see to it

910 2.8

Make sure that something happens or is true

causes actions by taking practical responsibility rather than promising outcomes

to insure

vsto see to it

Formal

16 3.0

To make sure something happens

relies on taking practical action and responsibility rather than promising results

Antonyms

to ignore

∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to neglect

256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Certain

to ensure

910 2.8

to see to it

107 3.5

to arrange

814 2.0

to expect

∞ 1.0

to hope

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

see to it infinitive

seeing to it present participle

sees to it third person singular

saw to it past

seen to it past participle

Morphology

see + to + it

The core verb 'see' already carries the sense 'take care that something is done', so the meaning 'make sure something happens' is directly derivable from combining that verb with the grammatical elements 'to it'. The particles 'to' and 'it' function as fillers linking the verb to a clause, and this verb+clause pattern (ensure/attend to + that‑clause) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase see to it comes from the simple image of someone using their eyes (see) to watch a task (it) until it is finished. That's why it now means 'to make sure something is done'.