Can "Sure thing" mean "You're welcome"?

I'm looking for different ways to say "you're welcome." Is "sure thing" one of those ways?

If it is, then how? I looked up its meaning and it doesn't seem to make sense as a replacement for "you're welcome."

Solution 1:

I haven't thought of it as "countryside" usage, but I am from a rural part of the US. "Sure thing" is used here all the time to respond to "thank you." It substitutes similarly to "no problem":

Thanks for helping me fix the henhouse.

No problem!

Or

Thank you for attending the barn-raising last week.

Sure thing!

And it is similarly deflective. In other words, "no problem" means "no thanks are necessary; it caused me no trouble to offer you assistance." When you use "sure thing" like this, it is something along the lines of "no thanks are necessary; it is a sure thing (a certainty) that I would help you" or a "you don't need to thank me; of course I would have done that."

Solution 2:

Well neither of the things that are used as replies to "thank you" is particularly logical in the direct meaning of the words

• you're welcome: welcome originally means 1. gladly and cordially received: a welcome guest, 2. agreeable or gratifying: welcome news, 3. freely and willingly permitted or invited; none of these make direct sense as an answer to thank you. It is only when you think of it as - "Your thanks are welcome." - you can make sense of it
• no problem: direct meaning again fails, but it is obvious that the answer states that the thing that thank you refers to caused no problem
• don't mention it: again, direct sense might give you an idea that the thank you is not accepted. As a phrase it plays down the importance of the deed so that the person who benefited from the deed does not feel bound by gratitude
• it's a pleasure/it's my pleasure: similarly like the previous, what is expressed is that it was a pleasure doing it and that a simple thank you is more than enough
• not at all/no, thank you: along the same lines, reverses the situation and says that it might be us who need to thank the other party

Similar to this last group I would say that

• sure(sure thing): is used to convey that it was not a big deal or that you would do that anyway, or that you gave no special treatment, so no special thank is necessary.

Keep in mind that the "thank you/you're welcome" communication pattern (with all variations) is used very frequently; and in such cases most of the information is transmitted non-verbally: tone, expression and body language will determine how thankful or welcoming you will appear.

Solution 3:

In the United States, in a mid-Western regional colloquial usage, or "in the countryside" in general (as in anywhere in the U.S. that is non-urban), the expression "sure thing" can replace "you're welcome". This is very casual usage though.

If using the phrase in a work of fiction, to realistically capture dialogue, "sure thing" would be quite natural sounding. In any other context, other than casual conversation in the geographical areas I mentioned, it would not even be common usage. In most East Coast urban areas in the U.S., "sure thing" would probably be understood as a synonym for "you're welcome", though it would be unusual and maybe remarked upon as being quaint or endearingly "country".

My answer is based on consultation with two different regional speakers just now (first is a skilled tradesman from rural mid-West, second is a young resident of the San Francisco bay area), as well as my own empirical observations.

Both thought it sounded odd to respond to "Are you coming?" with "Sure thing". However, it seemed plausible for the "Can I watch?" example. I think use as a replacement for "You're welcome" is more appropriate.

In summary, the answer is yes, but only in certain circumstances.

Solution 4:

"Sure thing" is an informal expression that means "Sure/Of course/Certainly"...

Look at this example from the NOAD:

"Can I watch?" - "Sure thing!"

Or this one taken from the OALD:

"Are you coming?" - "Sure thing."