cer·tain1 /ˈsɜːtn $ ˈsɜːr-/ ●●● S1 W1 adjectiveadj 1 [not before noun]SURE confident and sure, without any doubts 肯定的,确定的,毫无疑问的 SYN surecertain (that) I’m absolutely certain that I left the keys in the kitchen. 我绝对肯定我把钥匙落在厨房里了。
I felt certain that I’d passed the test. 我感觉自己肯定通过这次测验了。
certain who/what/how etc I’m not certain when it will be ready. 我不确定什么时候能准备好。
certain about/of Now, are you certain about that? 喂,你肯定是那样吗?
They were watching him. He was certain of it. 他们在监视他,对此他很肯定。
► see thesaurus at sure RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say sure rather than certain: 在日常英语中,人们一般说sure,不说certain
I’m sure I gave him the money. 我肯定我把钱给他了。
2 CERTAINLY/DEFINITELYif something is certain, it will definitely happen or is definitely true 肯定会发生的,必然的,确实的 It now seems certain that there will be an election in May. 现在看来五月份肯定会举行大选。
Many people look certain to lose their jobs. 许多人看来肯定要失业了。
It is wise to apply early to be certain of obtaining a place. 最好早点申请以确保被录取。
It’s not certain where he lived. 不清楚他住在哪里。
His re-election was considered virtually certain. 他再次当选被认为几乎已成定局。
It is by no means certain that the deal will be accepted. 还无法确定这笔交易会被接受。
If they stayed in the war zone they would face certain death. 他们如果留在战区的话,那就必死无疑。
3 make certain a) CHECK/MAKE SUREto check that something is correct or true 核实〔某事〕,把…弄清楚 SYN make suremake certain (that) We need to make certain that it’s going to fit first. 我们首先要确定这能放得下。
b) CERTAINLY/DEFINITELYto do something in order to be sure that something will happen 确保 SYN make suremake certain (that) Secure the edges firmly to make certain that no moisture can get in. 把边缘扣紧确保不让潮气进去。
4 for certain CERTAINLY/DEFINITELYwithout doubt 确定,无疑 SYN for sureknow/say (something) for certain I know for certain it’s in here somewhere. 我能肯定它就在这里的某个地方。
that’s/one thing’s for certain One thing’s for certain, he won’t be back. 有一点可以肯定,他是不会回来了。
know/say (something) for certain• I didn't really know this for certain.
5 [only before noun] used to talk about a particular person, thing, group of things etc without naming them or describing them exactly 某个;某些 The library’s only open at certain times of day. 这座图书馆只在一天的某些时段开放。
I promised to be in a certain place by lunchtime. 我保证到午饭时我会在这里的某个地方。
There are certain things I just can’t discuss with my mother. 有些事情我就是没法和我母亲商量。
certain kind/type/sort the expectation of a certain kind of behaviour 对某种行为的期望
in certain circumstances/cases etc Extra funding may be available in certain circumstances. 在某些情况下可能会有额外的资金。
6 a certain a) used to say that an amount is not great 一些,一点〔指数量不大〕 You may need to do a certain amount of work in the evenings. 你可能需要在晚上做一点工作。
to a certain extent/degree (=partly, but not completely) 某种程度上 I do agree with his ideas to a certain extent. 我的确有点同意他的观点。
b) enough of a particular quality to be noticed 稍微的,一些的〔指有某种品质〕 There’s a certain prestige about going to a private school. 上私立学校还是有点体面的。
c) formal used to talk about someone you do not know but whose name you have been told 某位 a certain Mr Franks 一位叫弗兰克斯的先生
n COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: if something is certain, it will definitely happen or is definitely truephrasesit seems certain that …It seemed certain that the other team would win.
somebody seems/looks/appears certain to do somethingFor a while the whole project looked certain to fail.
something is by no means certain (=not definite)Victory was by no means certain for Smith.
something is far from certain (=not definite)Success is far from certain.
adverbsfairly certainOpposition to the changes is fairly certain.
almost/virtually certainIt is almost certain that she will be given a prison sentence.
Prices are virtually certain to increase.
nounscertain deathIf they stayed in the war zone, they faced almost certain death.
THESAURUS – Meaning 2: if something is certain, it will definitely happen or is definitely true 肯定会发生的,必然的,确实的certain if something is certain, you are completely sure that it will happen or is true 确定的,肯定的Success seems certain. 成功似乎确定无疑。
It is almost certain that there will be a change of government. 几乎可以肯定,政府将要换届。
nNobody knows exactly who built the manor, but it is certain that an architect called John Sturges supplied the drawings.
definite if something is definite, it is certain because someone has officially stated that it will happen, is true etc 确定的,明确的I hope you can give me a definite answer soon. 我希望你快点给我一个明确的答复。
The wedding will be next summer but a definite date has not been arranged yet. 婚礼将在明年夏天举行,但确切日期尚未敲定。
nI’ve got a good chance of getting the job, but it’s not definite yet.
inevitable if something, especially something bad, is inevitable, it is certain to happen and you cannot do anything to prevent it 〔尤指坏事〕不可避免的War now seems inevitable. 眼下战争看似不可避免。
It was inevitable that he would find out her secret sooner or later. 他迟早会发现她的秘密,这是不可避免的。
nFacial wrinkles are the inevitable result of aging.
be bound to if something is bound to happen, it is very likely to happen, especially because that is what usually happens in that kind of situation. Be bound to is less formal than certain and is very common in everyday spoken English 必定,必将〔be bound to没有certain正式,在日常英语口语里很常用〕The kids are bound to be hungry when they get home – they always are. 孩子们回到家里必定饿了——他们一向如此。
My car broke down today. It was bound to happen sooner or later. 我的汽车今天坏了,这是迟早的事。
be assured of something formal to be certain to get something good, or to be successful 确信能得到某物,确信会成功After the success of its recent single, the band is now assured of a contract with a major record company. 最近的单曲唱片发行成功后,该乐队现在确定能和一家大唱片公司签约了。
nHe is is virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister.
nOur clients are assured of comfortable accommodation and the attention of our trained staff.
something is a foregone conclusion if something is a foregone conclusion, its result is certain even though it has not happened yet 某事是预料中的必然结果They were winning by such a large margin that victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion. 他们大幅领先对手,胜利似乎已成定局。
Party members believe it is a foregone conclusion that he will resign. 党员们相信,他辞职是早晚的事。