for certain
104
1.3
- idiom
- /fɔr ˈsɜrtən/
:
con certeza
- After all, he knew for certain, beyond a doubt, that this was in fact a dream.
- know for certain
- never know for certain
And one thing that's for certain, don't let it dominate you.
- And one thing that's for certain, don't let it dominate you.
- I can't tell you for certain that that's possible.
- But as I said, you don't know for certain at the moment.
- When I came in, the one thing I knew for certain was which one of those people I was.
- So science always errors on the side of saying what they know for certain, not what could happen.
- The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go.
- What we do know for certain is that being a vegan is healthy, right?
- So I kind of just take what I know for certain I need to do and cannot sub out.
- And so I, I know a couple of things for certain.
Examples
-
One thing is for certain, our health is really all we have.
-
I know for certain that some of it was designed.
-
When I came in, the one thing I knew for certain was which one of those people I was.
-
Do we know for certain it's him?
-
But I know for certain that we were in the right spot.
-
All he really knew for certain was that his life had changed forever, yet again.
Fiction book (1994) -
All we know for certain is that the boy was on his own.
Fiction book (1993) -
All I can say for certain is that I'm me.
-
I can't tell you for certain that that's possible.
-
I know for certain that some of it was designed.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Showing that something is true or will happen without any doubt
∞
1.0
Completely and without any doubt
∞
1.0
Without any doubt
700
2.0
Without any doubt
515
1.8
Shows that something is almost certainly true, often before saying something different
156
3.5
Without any doubt
56
3.9
In a clear way that leaves no doubt
38
5.5
In a strong, definite way that shows no doubt
37
6.9
In a clear way that leaves no doubt
29
4.4
In a clear way that leaves no doubt
27
3.9
In a way that proves something and leaves no doubt
26
3.7
Without any doubt
24
3.7
In a way that is certain
19
4.7
Without any doubt and with confidence
7
3.0
Completely sure with no chance of being wrong
7
2.3
Says that something is certainly true
7
5.4
In a way that is clearly true and cannot be doubted
5
9.9
You can be certain it is true
4
2.8
Completely certain with no possible reason to think it is wrong
3
8.6
Clearly and without doubt
3
4.6
In a way that shows there is no doubt
3
6.8
Clearly true and cannot be denied
1
9.1
In a way that no one can doubt
1
6.1
It is clearly true and cannot be doubted
1
8.2
Completely certain that something will happen
1
5.8
Clearly and without any doubt
1
6.9
Very likely and without any doubt
1
8.8
Certain to happen without any doubt
Says that something will definitely happen or is true
Certain to happen
Antonyms
How Certain
Surface Forms
Morphology
for + certain
The meaning 'without any doubt' is directly derivable from 'certain' (established beyond doubt) with the preposition 'for' forming an adverbial phrase; this follows common English patterns like 'for sure' or 'for real'. Cross-linguistically and for B1 learners familiar with 'certain' and basic uses of 'for', the phrase is immediately comprehensible and predictable.
Etymology
For certain may come from an older use of for as a strong word meaning 'completely', so it is like saying for + certain = completely sure. That's why for certain means 'without any doubt'.