staunch vs sure

staunch

adj
  • Dependable, loyal, reliable, trustworthy. 

  • Strongly built; also, in good or strong condition. 

  • Not permitting water or some other liquid to escape or penetrate; watertight. 

  • Staying true to one's aims or principles; firm, resolute, unswerving. 

  • Impermeable to air or other gases; airtight. 

  • Of a hunting dog: that can be depended on to pick up the scent of, or to mark, game. 

noun
  • Synonym of afterdamp (“suffocating gases present in a coal mine after an explosion caused by firedamp”) 

sure

adj
  • Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable. 

  • Certain to act or be a specified way. 

  • Certain in one's knowledge or belief. 

adv
  • Without doubt, certainly. 

intj
  • Yes, expressing noncommittal agreement or consent. 

  • Yes; of course. 

  • You're welcome; polite response to being thanked. 

How often have the words staunch and sure occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )