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”).
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 ensure in a Sentence
A combination of … personal courage, dashing leadership from the front, willingness to share the toughest rigours suffered by the ordinary soldiers, and a liberal dose of sheer good fortune ensured his stature as a great general.—Paul Cartledge, History Today, July 2004Indeed, even though she's been off the mainstream radar for more than a decade, her passionate love for and commitment to rock & roll have ensured that she's managed to make a steady living.—Tom Sinclair, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Nov. 2000At 20, [Kobe] Bryant is already living the modern American dream, a $70 million man on the NBA's glamour team in the nation's starriest city. His acrobatic moves make him the envy of teenage boys and his good looks and megawatt smile a heartthrob for teenage girls, ensuring his status as one of the NBA's premier pitchmen …—Allison Samuels et al., Newsweek, 31 May 1999
They took steps to ensure the safety of the passengers.
regulations that ensure the wholesomeness of our food
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These underground schools, which were constructed with the help of USAID, are vital for ensuring children's safety while maintaining their education.—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025 To override Stein’s veto, the GOP would need either one Democrat in the state House flipping over to approve, undermining their fellow party members’ power, or ensure not all Democrats are in attendance when the veto-override vote occurs.—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 29 Mar. 2025 Leaders need to understand this complex territory and need new targets to ensure their companies thrive domestically and internationally.—Paul Klein, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025 The wood chairs are kiln-dried to prevent the wood from splitting or warping and sealed to ensure they won’t get nicked accidentally.—Maggie Horton, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ensure
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French ensurer, alteration of assurer — more at assure
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