A surety is money or something valuable which you give to someone to show that you will do what you have promised.
The insurance company will take warehouse stocks or treasury bonds as surety.
Bristol Crown Court granted conditional bail with a surety of £2,500.
Synonyms: security, guarantee, deposit, insurance More Synonyms of surety
More Synonyms of surety
surety in British English
(ˈʃʊətɪ, ˈʃʊərɪtɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-ties
1.
a person who assumes legal responsibility for the fulfilment of another's debt or obligation and himself or herself becomes liable if the other defaults
2.
security given against loss or damage or as a guarantee that an obligation will be met
3. obsolete
the quality or condition of being sure
4. obsolete
a means of assurance or safety
5. stand surety
Derived forms
suretyship (ˈsuretyˌship)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French seurte, from Latin sēcūritāssecurity
surety in American English
(ˈʃʊrəti; ˈʃʊrti)
nounWord forms: pluralˈsureties
1.
the state of being sure; sureness; assurance
2.
something sure; certainty
3.
something that makes sure or gives assurance, as against loss, damage, or default;security; guarantee
4.
a.
a person who takes responsibility for another
b. Law
one who accepts liability for another's debts, defaults of obligations, etc.
Derived forms
suretyship (ˈsuretyˌship)
noun
Word origin
ME seurte < OFr < L securitas < securus, sure, secure
Examples of 'surety' in a sentence
surety
He looked kind and craggy and outdoorsy and she realised with a horrible surety that she fancied him.
Sue Welfare FALLEN WOMEN (2002)
The surety that life would end was comforting, the certainty that every minute I was deciding to live, a relief.
Vanessa Jones THE KINDEST USE A KNIFE (2002)
Wulfgar must have rewarded her handsomely for her favor, for of a surety that baseborn knight had no social graces.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE (2002)
In other languages
surety
British English: surety NOUN
A surety is money or something valuable which you give to someone to show that you will do what you have promised.
The insurance company will take warehouse stocks or treasury bonds as surety.
American English: surety
Brazilian Portuguese: garantia
Chinese: 保证金
European Spanish: fianza
French: caution
German: Sicherheit
Italian: garanzia
Japanese: 担保
Korean: 담보
European Portuguese: garantia
Latin American Spanish: fianza
1 (noun)
Definition
security given as a guarantee that an obligation will be met
a surety of £2,500
Synonyms
security
The banks will pledge the land as security.
guarantee
He had to give a personal guarantee on the loan to his company.
deposit
A deposit of £20 is required when ordering.
insurance
Put something away as insurance against failure of the business.
bond
I'm not about to betray my bond with my brother.
safety
The safety of the drug has not yet been proven.
pledge
items held in pledge for loans
bail
He was freed on bail pending an appeal.
warranty
The equipment comes with a twelve-month warranty.
indemnity
They had failed to take out full indemnity cover.
2 (noun)
Definition
a person who takes legal responsibility for the fulfilment of another's debt or obligation
I agreed to stand surety for Arthur to be bailed out.
Synonyms
guarantor
They told me I needed to find a guarantor to back me.
sponsor
the new sponsors of the world championships
hostage
the man they were holding as a hostage
bondsman
mortgagor
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bail
Definition
a sum of money deposited with the court as security for a person's reappearance in court
He was freed on bail pending an appeal.
Synonyms
security,
bond,
guarantee,
pledge,
warranty,
indemnity,
surety,
guaranty
in the sense of bond
Definition
a written or spoken agreement, esp. a promise
I'm not about to betray my bond with my brother.
Synonyms
agreement,
word,
promise,
contract,
guarantee,
pledge,
obligation,
compact,
covenant
in the sense of deposit
Definition
money given in part payment for goods or services
A deposit of £20 is required when ordering.
Synonyms
down payment,
security,
stake,
pledge,
warranty,
instalment,
retainer,
part payment
Nearby words of
surety
sure enough
sure of yourself
surely
surety
surface
surfeit
surge
Synonyms of 'surety'
surety
Explore 'surety' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of guarantee
Definition
something that makes a specified condition or outcome certain
He had to give a personal guarantee on the loan to his company.
Synonyms
security,
earnest (old-fashioned),
collateral,
surety
in the sense of hostage
Definition
a person who is illegally held prisoner until certain demands are met by other people
the man they were holding as a hostage
Synonyms
captive,
prisoner,
pledge,
pawn,
security,
surety,
gage
in the sense of indemnity
Definition
insurance against loss or damage
They had failed to take out full indemnity cover.
Synonyms
insurance,
security,
guarantee,
protection
in the sense of insurance
Definition
a means of protection
Put something away as insurance against failure of the business.
Synonyms
protection,
security,
guarantee,
provision,
shelter,
safeguard,
warranty,
something to fall back on (informal)
in the sense of pledge
Definition
the condition of being used as security
items held in pledge for loans
Synonyms
guarantee,
security,
deposit,
bail,
bond,
collateral,
earnest (old-fashioned),
pawn,
gage,
surety
in the sense of safety
Definition
the quality or state of being free from danger
The safety of the drug has not yet been proven.
Synonyms
reliability,
security,
harmlessness,
lack of side effects
in the sense of sponsor
Definition
a person or group that promotes another person or group in an activity or the activity itself, either for profit or for charity
the new sponsors of the world championships
Synonyms
backer,
patron,
promoter,
angel (informal),
guarantor
in the sense of warranty
Definition
a guarantee or assurance that goods meet a specified standard or that the facts in a legal document are as stated