insure

verb

in·​sure in-ˈshu̇r How to pronounce insure (audio)
-ˈshər-
insured; insuring

transitive verb

1
: to provide or obtain insurance on or for
2
: to make certain especially by taking necessary measures and precautions

intransitive verb

: to contract to give or take insurance

Did you know?

Do you ensure or insure?

There is considerable confusion about whether ensure and insure are distinct words, variants of the same word, or some combination of the two. They are in fact different words, but with sufficient overlap in meaning and form as to create uncertainty as to which should be used when. We define ensure as “to make sure, certain, or safe” and one sense of insure, “to make certain especially by taking necessary measures and precautions,” is quite similar. But insure has the additional meaning “to provide or obtain insurance on or for,” which is not shared by ensure. Some usage guides recommend using insure in financial contexts (as in “she insured her book collection for a million dollars”) and ensure in the general sense “to make certain” (as in “she ensured that the book collection was packed well”).

Choose the Right Synonym for insure

ensure, insure, assure, secure mean to make a thing or person sure.

ensure, insure, and assure are interchangeable in many contexts where they indicate the making certain or inevitable of an outcome, but ensure may imply a virtual guarantee

the government has ensured the safety of the refugees

, while insure sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand

careful planning should insure the success of the party

, and assure distinctively implies the removal of doubt and suspense from a person's mind.

I assure you that no harm will be done

secure implies action taken to guard against attack or loss.

sent reinforcements to secure their position

Examples of insure in a Sentence

He found the language not obscene … but did find it intentionally disruptive, and held that school officials had the right to insure that a high-school assembly proceed in an orderly manner, without hoots and howls and all that snickering. William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 24 Aug. 1986
… his sudden fame probably insured a backlash. Calvin Tomkins, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 1982
The fact that by supplying his uncle with an amusing mistress he would insure against any awkward second marriage was merely a fortunate coincidence. Mollie Hardwick, Emma, Lady Hamilton, 1969
We insured our house against fire and flood damage. I found a company that will insure my car for less than I've been paying. This policy will insure your car against theft. She had difficulty finding a company that would insure her. They take great care to insure the safety and security of their home. We hope that careful planning will insure success.
Recent Examples on the Web By incorporating choice native shrubs and evergreen grass-like plants, Zoomers are providing winter shelter for wildlife as well as insuring the spring and summer offerings of pollen and nectar. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024 Unlike other insurance companies that write policies based on basic criteria, surplus lines insurers write custom policies, insuring everything from large condominiums to guitarist Keith Richards’ middle finger. Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for insure 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to assure, probably alteration of assuren

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of insure was in 1635

Dictionary Entries Near insure

Cite this Entry

“Insure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insure. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

insure

verb
in·​sure in-ˈshu̇(ə)r How to pronounce insure (audio)
insured; insuring
1
: to give or get insurance on or for
2
: to make certain : ensure
insurer
in-ˈshu̇r-ər
noun

Legal Definition

insure

verb
in·​sure in-ˈshu̇r How to pronounce insure (audio)
insured; insuring

transitive verb

: to assure against a loss by a contingent event on certain stipulated conditions or at a given rate of premium : give, take, or procure insurance on or for

intransitive verb

: to contract to give insurance : underwrite
also : to procure or effect insurance

More from Merriam-Webster on insure

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