SURETY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does surety mean? 

• SURETY (noun)
  The noun SURETY has 5 senses:

1. something clearly established

2. property that your creditor can claim in case you default on your obligation

3. a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms

4. one who provides a warrant or guarantee to another

5. a guarantee that an obligation will be met

  Familiarity information: SURETY used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SURETY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Something clearly established

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("surety" is a kind of...):

certainty; foregone conclusion; sure thing (something that is certain)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Property that your creditor can claim in case you default on your obligation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

security; surety

Context example:

bankers are reluctant to lend without good security

Hypernyms ("surety" is a kind of...):

transferred possession; transferred property (a possession whose ownership changes or lapses)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "surety"):

deposit (money given as security for an article acquired for temporary use)

earnest (something of value given by one person to another to bind a contract)

recognisance; recognizance ((law) a security entered into before a court with a condition to perform some act required by law; on failure to perform that act a sum is forfeited)

stock-purchase warrant; stock warrant; warrant (a type of security issued by a corporation (usually together with a bond or preferred stock) that gives the holder the right to purchase a certain amount of common stock at a stated price)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

hostage; surety

Hypernyms ("surety" is a kind of...):

captive; prisoner (a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war)

Sense 4

Meaning:

One who provides a warrant or guarantee to another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

guarantor; surety; warranter; warrantor

Hypernyms ("surety" is a kind of...):

patron; sponsor; supporter (someone who supports or champions something)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A guarantee that an obligation will be met

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

security; surety

Hypernyms ("surety" is a kind of...):

guarantee; warrant; warrantee; warranty (a written assurance that some product or service will be provided or will meet certain specifications)

 Context examples 

She was pleased and surprised with the quickness and surety of his mind.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He was firmly planted on his legs; his feet struck the deck squarely and with surety; every movement of a muscle, from the heave of the shoulders to the tightening of the lips about the cigar, was decisive, and seemed to come out of a strength that was excessive and overwhelming.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

And in this was portrayed the victory of the spirit over the flesh, the indomitability and moral grandeur of the soul that knows no restriction and rises above time and space and matter with a surety and invincibleness born of nothing else than eternity and immortality.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)