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Provide vs Sure - What's the difference?

provide | sure |

As a verb provide

is to make a living; earn money for necessities.

As an adjective sure is

physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.

As an adverb sure is

without doubt.

As an interjection sure is

yes, of course.

provide

English

Verb

(provid)
  • To make a living; earn money for necessities.
    • It is difficult to provide for my family working on minimum wage.
  • To act to prepare for something.
  • To establish as a previous condition; to stipulate.
    • The contract provides that the work be well done.
    I'll lend you the money, provided that you pay it back by Monday.
  • To give what is needed or desired, especially basic needs.
    • Don't bother bringing equipment, as we will provide it.
    We aim to provide the local community with more green spaces.
  • To furnish (with), cause to be present.
  • * Arbuthnot
    • Rome was well provided with corn.
  • To make possible or attainable.
    • He provides us with an alternative option.
  • * Milton
    • Bring me berries, or such cooling fruit / As the kind, hospitable woods provide .
  • (obsolete, Latinism) To foresee.
    • (Ben Jonson)
  • To appoint to an ecclesiastical benefice before it is vacant. See provisor .
    • (Prescott)

    Derived terms

    * provider

    Related terms

    * provision

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----

    sure

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.
  • Certain in one's knowledge or belief.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on an afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.}}
  • Certain to act or be a specified way.
  • (obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Fear not; the forest is not three leagues off; / If we recover that we are sure enough.
  • (obsolete) Betrothed; engaged to marry.
  • * Sir T. More
    • The king was sure to Dame Elizabeth Lucy, and her husband before God.
  • * Brome
    • I presume that you had been sure as fast as faith could bind you, man and wife.

    Synonyms

    * (secure and steadfast) certain, failsafe, reliable * (sense, steadfast in one's knowledge or belief) certain, positive, wis

    Derived terms

    * for sure * surely * sure up (sure)

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • Without doubt.
    • Sure he's coming! Why wouldn't he?
    "Did you kill that bear yourself? ?"I sure did!"

    Usage notes

    * Often proscribed in favor of surely. May be informal.

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • (rft-sense) Yes, of course.

    • Synonyms

    * certainly, of course, OK, yes

    References

    * 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology , Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192830988

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

    * * * English modal adverbs 1000 English basic words ----