for certain

cer·tain  (sûrtn)

adj.

1. Definite; fixed: set aside a certain sum each week.

2. Sure to come or happen; inevitable: certain success.

3. Established beyond doubt or question; indisputable: What is certain is that every effect must have a cause.

4. Capable of being relied on; dependable: a quick and certain remedy.

5. Having or showing confidence; assured.

6.

a. Not specified or identified but assumed to be known: felt that certain breeds did not make good pets.

b. Named but not known or previously mentioned: a certain Ms. Johnson.

7. Perceptible; noticeable: a certain charm; a certain air of mystery.

8. Not great; calculable: to a certain degree; a certain delay in the schedule.

pron.

An indefinite but limited number; some: Certain of the products are faulty.

Idiom:

for certain

Without doubt; definitely.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *certnus, from Latin certus, past participle of cernere, to determine; see krei- in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: certain, inescapable, inevitable, sure, unavoidable
These adjectives mean impossible to avoid or evade: soldiers who knew they faced certain death; facts that led to an inescapable conclusion; an inevitable result; sudden but sure retribution; an unavoidable accident. See Also Synonyms at sure.

Usage Note: Although certain appears to be an absolute term, it is frequently qualified by adverbs, as in fairly certain or quite certain. In an earlier survey a majority of the Usage Panel accepted the construction Nothing could be more certain.

Thesaurus

Adv.

1.

for certain - definitely or positively (`sure' is sometimes used informally for `surely'); "the results are surely encouraging"; "she certainly is a hard worker"; "it's going to be a good day for sure"; "they are coming, for certain"; "they thought he had been killed sure enough"; "he'll win sure as shooting"; "they sure smell good"; "sure he'll come" certainly, for sure, sure, sure as shooting, surely, sure enough colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech