insure

[in-shoor, -shur]

verb (used with object)

insured, insuring 

1. to guarantee against loss or harm.

   Synonyms: warrant

2. to secure indemnity to or on, in case of loss, damage, or death.

3. to issue or procure an insurance policy on or for.

4. ensure.

   Synonyms: assure

verb (used without object)

insured, insuring 

1. to issue or procure an insurance policy.

insure

/ ɪnˈʃʊə, -ˈʃɔː /

verb

1. (often foll by against) to guarantee or protect (against risk, loss, etc)

   we insured against disappointment by making an early reservation

2. (often foll by against) to issue (a person) with an insurance policy or take out an insurance policy (on)

   his house was heavily insured against fire

   after all his car accidents the company refuses to insure him again

3. another word (esp US) for ensure ensure

Other Word Forms

• overinsure verb (used with object)
• preinsure verb (used with object)
• insurability noun
• insurable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of insure¹

1400–50; late Middle English; variant of ensure

Example Sentences

The cost of insuring U.K. sovereign debt against default using credit default swaps fell as a result to 19 basis points from 20 basis points prior to the budget.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The roughly $75 million fund allowed her client’s daughter to buy and board horses—which can cost more than $100,000 each—care for them medically, hire instructors and even insure the animals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The black BMW, allegedly registered and insured in the defendant's name, was said to have been significantly damaged.

Read more on BBC

It’s part of why publicly insured patients like Newman are so much likelier to die in the transplant process, Benharash said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, the cost of insuring those bonds using credit-default swaps also has climbed, with negative sentiments from different groups of investors feeding into each other.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assure 
• cover 
• guarantee 
• hedge 
• safeguard 
• shield 
• underwrite 

When To Use

What's the difference between insure, ensure, and assure?

Insure typically means to guarantee against loss or harm or, more specifically, to cover with insurance. Ensure most commonly means to guarantee or make certain, as in Working hard ensures success. Assure usually means to tell someone something with confidence or to cause someone to know something with certainty—it often means the same thing as reassure.It’s no wonder there’s confusion between the three words—all three are verbs that are based on the Latin root sēcūrus, meaning safe. Making things even more confusing is the fact that ensure and insure can be used interchangeably in most senses. Still, insure is much more commonly used in the context of insurance, like car insurance, health insurance, and homeowner’s insurance. These kinds of insurance insure you—they give you coverage that provides you with compensation in certain cases and situations.Ensure is typically used in a more general way in the context of actions that are done to make sure that something happens or is the case, as in We need to ensure that the meeting starts on time.Assure is always used in the context of communication, especially in situations in which someone is trying to make someone else feel better about something. It’s used in the phrase rest assured.Here’s a quick cheat sheet to remember the most common uses of each word:insure = cover with insuranceensure = make sureassure = reassureHere’s an example of insure, ensure, and assure used correctly in a sentence.Example: She assured me that the company has ensured that every employee has the opportunity to be insured.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between insure, ensure, and assure.