Totally

[0042] For sure

🎲 No worries
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • An informal phrase used to express certainty, strong agreement, or definite affirmation.
  • Synonymous with definitely, certainly, or absolutely. Can be used to answer a question affirmatively or to agree strongly with a statement.

Origin

  • A simple compositional phrase (for + sure).
  • Likely gained currency in North American English during the 20th century as a common colloquial way to express certainty or agreement emphatically.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Definitely / Absolutely / Certainly (Similar meaning, can be more formal)
  • Totally (Informal strong agreement)
  • Without a doubt / No doubt
  • Sure thing (Informal, often means yes, I will do that)
  • You bet / You betcha (Informal affirmation)
  • Of course

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Totally.
  • 100%.
  • Bet. (AAVE influence, affirmation/agreement)
  • Word. (Agreement)
  • You know it. (Confident affirmation)
  • Sure thing.
  • You bet. / You betcha.

Vulgar/Emphatic:

  • Fuck yeah. / Hell yeah.
  • Damn straight. / Damn right.
  • Abso-fucking-lutely.

Milder/Standard:

  • Certainly.
  • Definitely.
  • Absolutely.
  • Of course.
  • Without a doubt.

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal to semi-formal.
  • Very common in everyday spoken English and casual writing (emails, texts).
  • Might be slightly too informal for very formal settings where Certainly or Absolutely would be preferred.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Unlikely to be misunderstood; clearly signals certainty or strong agreement.

Examples

  • Will you be there tonight? / For sure.
  • This seems like the best option. / For sure.
  • He's the most qualified candidate, for sure. (Used for emphasis at the end of a statement)

Dialogue

Social Media Examples

  • Reply to an invitation: Want to join our study group? -> Reply: For sure! Send me the details.
  • Comment confirming information: Is this the official account? -> Verified User: For sure.
  • Tweet expressing certainty: This is going to be the best album of the year, for sure. #music

Response Patterns

  • Used as a definite yes or strong agreement.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing For sure:

  • Often signals the finalization of agreement or confirmation. For sure. I'll see you then.
  • The conversation may then move to related details or a new topic.

Conversation Starter

  • No.
  • It's a response.

Intonation

  • Usually delivered with confidence, often with stress on SURE. For SURE.
  • Typically has a falling intonation, indicating certainty.

Generation Differences

  • Widely used across various age groups, perhaps slightly more prevalent among younger generations (under 50s) but well understood by all.

Regional Variations

  • Very common in North American English (US/Canada).
  • Also used and understood in other regions like the UK, Australia, and NZ, though perhaps less frequent than local equivalents sometimes.
Totally
🎲 No worries