Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adverb With confidence; unhesitatingly.
- adverb Undoubtedly; certainly.
- adverb Without fail.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Certainly; infallibly; undoubtedly; assuredly: often used, like
doubtless , in a manner implying doubt or question. - Firmly; stably; safely; securely.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb In a sure or certain manner; certainly; infallibly; undoubtedly; assuredly.
- adverb Without danger; firmly; steadly; securely.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb
without fail . - adverb
certainly ,undoubtedly . - adverb with
confidence .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb definitely or positively (`sure' is sometimes used informally for `surely')
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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There was a wife and a little, little baby, "Oh, _so_ little!" far up on the mountain-side; they would starve; surely, _surely_ they would starve!
Shelled by an Unseen Foe James Fiske
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"Oh, surely, _surely_ now, some ship will sight it and come in!" proclaimed Jean, as she turned to scan the sea, her face alight with the faith inspired by the faded colors.
Where the Sun Swings North Barrett Willoughby
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But to him the title surely belongs; and there is no competent judge, who, when made aware of the great talents and acquisitions, theoretical and practical, of Mr. Lewis in the science of music, will not cheerfully accord it to him.
Music and Some Highly Musical People James M. Trotter 1867
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Another title surely beckons at the European Indoor Championships in Paris in March.
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011
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And finally Atalanta who I think will already be relegated. there are still three matches left. why have roma already conceded the title. players with tears, all round despondency is not going to help them. if they want to win the title surely they need to be mentally stronger
The Guardian World News Paolo Bandini 2010
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This surely is the measure of ‘lifeness’ and indeed great fiction: the amount of blood the reader and character share.
Realism in Fiction 2008
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If they are then, in a reverse of this situation, enabled to declare their London home as their principal home for Tax purposes, this surely is a feathering of the nest which, whilst lawful at the moment, ought to be abolished right away.
Archive 2007-09-23 2007
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If they are then, in a reverse of this situation, enabled to declare their London home as their principal home for Tax purposes, this surely is a feathering of the nest which, whilst lawful at the moment, ought to be abolished right away.
A Corrosion Of Trust 2007
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"It Could Happen to You" (changed from "Cop Gives Waitress $2 Million Tip," the new title surely plays on "It Should Happen to You," George Cukor's lovely, little-known 1954 comedy) is shamelessly old-fashioned: it shouldn't float, but it does.
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"It Could Happen to You" (changed from "Cop Gives Waitress $2 Million Tip," the new title surely plays on "It Should Happen to You," George Cukor's lovely, little-known 1954 comedy) is shamelessly old-fashioned: it shouldn't float, but it does.
oroboros commented on the word surely
"Don't call me Shirley!"
January 12, 2007
sonofgroucho commented on the word surely
I loved that film!
December 8, 2007
johnmperry commented on the word surely
When I was at school, our headmaster told us never to agree with a question which used the word 'surely'
July 25, 2008
sionnach commented on the word surely
Surely you can't mean that, jmp?
July 25, 2008