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

Overall losses from Milton totaled about $38 billion, as not all losses were insured. Munich RE, which released the information Thursday, said Hurricane Helene caused the largest amount of overall losses in 2024, at $56 billion, with $16 billion in insured losses. —News Service Of Florida, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025

The total value of properties insured by the FAIR Plan totaled more than $458 billion as of September, up from $153 billion in 2020, according to the insurer's website. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025

Gibson seemed uncertain to what extent his place was insured while considering what to do next. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2025

The 2025 enrollment figure is buoyed by 3.2 million new consumers compared to last year, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services said, with 20.4 million consumers insured in 2024 selecting a plan for the new year or automatically re-enrolled. —Fritz Farrow, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2025

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