insure

verb

in·​sure in-ˈshu̇r 

-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”).

Synonyms

• assure
• cinch
• ensure
• guarantee
• guaranty
• ice
• secure

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

Customers’ savings and checking accounts amounting to $47.1 million were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which paid off their losses. —Martha Mendoza, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024

Market forces insure that they are both rewarded on the basis of their productivity, which is ultimately determined by the state of technology. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024

Your car insurance discounts guide for 2024 What are the cheapest cars to insure in 2024? —Adrienne Roberts, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024

Alongside the government, insurance companies are using Bellwether to better understand the scale of damage caused after a disaster, and how much to insure areas for in the future. —Chris Stokel-Walker, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to assure, probably alteration of assuren

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing insure

• insure against
• self-insure

Kids Definition

insure

verb

in·​sure in-ˈshu̇(ə)r 

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 

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