surely

surely
sure, surely
1. In all parts of the English-speaking world, surely is the dominant form in the meaning ‘in a sure or certain manner’ (slowly but surely) and in the use inviting or presupposing agreement (Surely that can't be right). In BrE, sure is limited as an adverb to fixed expressions such as sure as eggs is eggs and as sure as God made little apples, and to use as a form of assent in replying to a question or proposition, although this is better established in AmE:

• I asked if you could finish your lunch, and they said sure, no hurry —Rex Stout, 1975

• ‘Do you remember last night?’ I asked calmly, slipping on the skirt. ‘Sure I do.’ —fiction website, AmE 2003.

(Surely is also used in this way.)
2. In other adverbial uses sure is most closely associated with AmE:

• Parts of it were pretty, sure —Alison Lurie, 1969

• A chemical fire. You worry about those, sure, said Clerk —New Yorker, 1988.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Surely — Sure ly, adv. 1. In a sure or certain manner; certainly; infallibly; undoubtedly; assuredly. [1913 Webster] In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Gen. ii. 17. [1913 Webster] He that created something out of nothing, surely… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • surely — [shoor′lē] adv. 1. with assurance or confidence; in a sure, unhesitating manner 2. without a doubt; assuredly; certainly: often used as an intensive emphasizing a supposition [surely you don t believe that!] 3. without risk of failing: chiefly in …   English World dictionary

  • surely — index admittedly, fairly (clearly) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • surely — 14c., from SURE (Cf. sure) ( ) + LY (Cf. ly) (2) …   Etymology dictionary

  • surely — [adv] without doubt absolutely, admittedly, assuredly, beyond doubt, beyond shadow of doubt*, certainly, clearly, come what may*, conclusively, decidedly, definitely, distinctly, doubtlessly, evidently, explicitly, fixedly, for certain, for real …   New thesaurus

  • surely — ► ADVERB 1) it must be true that. 2) certainly. 3) with assurance. 4) N. Amer. informal of course …   English terms dictionary

  • surely — adverb 1 (sentence adverb) used to show that you think something must be true, especially when people seem to be disagreeing with you: You must have heard about the riots surely? | There must surely be some explanation. | Surely we can t just… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • surely — sure|ly W2S1 [ˈʃo:li US ˈʃurli] adv 1.) [sentence adverb] used to show that you think something must be true, especially when people seem to be disagreeing with you ▪ You must have heard about the riots, surely? ▪ There must surely be some… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • surely — [[t]ʃʊ͟ə(r)li[/t]] ♦♦♦ 1) ADV: ADV with cl/group (emphasis) You use surely to emphasize that you think something should be true, and you would be surprised if it was not true. You re an intelligent woman, surely you realize by now that I m… …   English dictionary

  • Surely — Infobox Single Name = Surely Artist = Five Star from Album = Heart and Soul Released = October 10 1995 Format = 7 single, CD single [ Recorded = ] Genre = Pop Length = 4:45 Label = Tent Writer = Doris Pearson, Delroy Pearson Producer = Buster… …   Wikipedia

  • surely — sure|ly [ ʃurli ] adverb ** 1. ) without any doubt: That is surely the stupidest thing I have ever done. 2. ) used for showing that you believe something is very likely: You surely realized we were in when you saw the lights on? Surely she didn t …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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