make certain
idiom
: to do something or find out something so that one has no doubt about whether something is true, correct, will happen, etc.
Make certain (that) you lock the door when you leave.
We must make certain this doesn't happen again.
She made certain she thanked each of them for coming.
Examples of make certain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some of those tools might be woefully out of date, because pathogens have evolved; antibiotic resistance could also make certain bacterial infections more difficult to expunge than in decades prior.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2025
The legislation also imposed new requirements on states to make certain that competing slates of electors were not presented to Congress, something that Mr. Trump and his allies tried to engineer in 2020.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
That being said, if tariffs make certain products too expensive or reduce their value, Costco has the option to pivot to different products.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 13 Dec. 2024
Also, the company’s strategies are tailored to each client to make certain that their store is aligned with their specific goals — targeting niche markets, maximizing profitability, or scaling for long-term growth.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make certain 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2025
The legislation also imposed new requirements on states to make certain that competing slates of electors were not presented to Congress, something that Mr. Trump and his allies tried to engineer in 2020.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
That being said, if tariffs make certain products too expensive or reduce their value, Costco has the option to pivot to different products.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 13 Dec. 2024
Also, the company’s strategies are tailored to each client to make certain that their store is aligned with their specific goals — targeting niche markets, maximizing profitability, or scaling for long-term growth.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make certain
Dictionary Entries Near make certain
Cite this Entry
“Make certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20certain. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share