to be sure
104
4.9
- idiom
:
ciertamente
- I read it twice just to be sure.
- Such a plan, to be sure
- a plan, to be sure
- played, to be sure
And there's some of that to be sure in boyhood.
- And there's some of that to be sure in boyhood.
- Yeah, there is a sweet relief to that, to be sure.
- The GOP is capable of hypocrisy too, to be sure.
- But yeah, your point is, is encouraging to be sure.
Examples
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She wants to be sure you're both on the same page.
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I scanned one side of the square and then the other to be sure I was alone.
Fiction book (1996) -
I went back again tonight to be sure.
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I need to be sure.
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I want to be sure the French can see her.
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You need to be sure that this team is really a team, and that they have your back.
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I have to be sure I'm doing the right thing before taking such a big step.
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We just needed to be sure you didn't take any notes.
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Let me do a bit more research just to be sure there aren't any other factors involved.
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I want to be sure the report is accurate before I send it.
Synonyms
515
1.8
Shows that something is almost certainly true, often before saying something different
221
2.3
To show you are telling the truth or how you really feel
97
4.3
Saying that something is true before you say something different
84
3.8
Actually, what is said is true even if people think otherwise
48
3.2
To say something that is true even if it is surprising
17
5.6
You say it to show you are honest, even if it sounds awkward
7
2.3
Says that something is certainly true
Admitting that something is true
To admit something is true before giving a different point
Admitting a point that goes against what you said
Antonyms
How Conceding
Surface Forms
Morphology
The concessive sense 'admittedly' is closely related to the literal meaning of 'be sure' (to be certain), so a learner who knows 'be' and 'sure' can often infer that the speaker is conceding a point. However, the phrase functions as a discourse/parenthetical marker and its pragmatic concessive use is not fully predictable from simple composition, so it requires some discourse-pragmatic knowledge.
Etymology
The phrase to be sure comes from the plain idea of to be and sure. One clear image is a person who nods and says 'to be sure' to admit a point and then adds 'but', so it now means 'admittedly' or 'it's true, but'.