secure
free from or not exposed to danger or harm; safe.
dependable; firm; not liable to fail, yield, become displaced, etc., as a support or a fastening: The building was secure, even in an earthquake.
affording safety, as a place: He needed a secure hideout.
in safe custody or keeping: Here in the vault the necklace was secure.
free from care; without anxiety: emotionally secure.
firmly established, as a relationship or reputation: He earned a secure place among the baseball immortals.
sure; certain; assured: secure of victory;secure in religious belief.
safe from penetration or interception by unauthorized persons: secure radio communications between army units.
Archaic. overconfident.
to get hold or possession of; procure; obtain: to secure materials;to secure a high government position.
to free from danger or harm; make safe: Sandbags secured the town during the flood.
to effect; make certain of; ensure: The novel secured his reputation.
to make firm or fast, as by attaching: to secure a rope.
Finance.
to assure payment of (a debt) by pledging property.
to assure (a creditor) of payment by the pledge or mortgaging of property.
to lock or fasten against intruders: to secure the doors.
to protect from attack by taking cover, by building fortifications, etc.: The regiment secured its position.
to capture (a person or animal): No one is safe until the murderer is secured.
to tie up (a person), especially by binding the person's arms or hands; pinion.
to guarantee the privacy or secrecy of: to secure diplomatic phone conversations.
to be or become safe; have or obtain security.
Nautical.
to cover openings and make movable objects fast: The crew was ordered to secure for sea.
to be excused from duty: to secure from general quarters.
Origin of secure
1synonym study For secure
Other words for secure
Opposites for secure
Other words from secure
- se·cur·a·ble, adjective
- se·cure·ly, adverb
- se·cure·ness, noun
- se·cur·er, noun
- o·ver·se·cure, adjective, verb (used with object), o·ver·se·cured, o·ver·se·cur·ing.
- o·ver·se·cure·ly, adverb
- pre·se·cure, verb (used with object), pre·se·cured, pre·se·cur·ing.
- qua·si-se·cure, adjective
- qua·si-se·cure·ly, adverb
- re·se·cure, verb, re·se·cured, re·se·cur·ing.
- su·per·se·cure, adjective
- su·per·se·cure·ly, adverb
- su·per·se·cure·ness, noun
- un·se·cure, adjective
- un·se·cure·ly, adverb
- un·se·cure·ness, noun
- well-se·cured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use secure in a sentence
The decision to retire came as a surprise to many, but also secured his legacy as one of the game’s all-time greats.
Another issue facing all food providers involves securing meals.
‘Can’t eat a gift card’: Rural food banks fight to put turkeys on the table | Kyle Swenson | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostAsked by The Post about his responses to lawmakers, Churchill said in a statement that he was proud of the state’s procurement officers for their “unprecedented effort to secure large quantities of medical commodities.”
Hogan’s first batch of coronavirus tests from South Korea were flawed, never used | Steve Thompson | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostBook one of the 60 free RV parking spots in advance to secure your space.
10 Ski Areas Where You Can Camp in the Parking Lot | Megan Michelson | November 20, 2020 | Outside OnlineThey’d also secured a dramatic victory over the Seahawks last month in Arizona on a field goal late in overtime.
Kyler Murray runs out of miracles as Seahawks hang on to take over first place in NFC West | Mark Maske | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
The Senate Intelligence Committee report says they secured a contract with the CIA in 2006 valued “in excess of $180 million.”
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built | Michael Daly | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTJonathan Moore, who secured the $1.7 million settlement in the Stewart case, is representing them.
Before Eric Garner, There Was Michael Stewart: The Tragic Story of the Real-Life Radio Raheem | Marlow Stern | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAlong with amnesty, our borders were to be secured once and for all.
Her mother was illiterate, but she secured a tutor for both her sons and her daughters, and Juana could read by the age of 3.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun | Katie Baker | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPatterson secured the permission of the landowner to venture onto the property.
He has secured the release of certain Spanish prisoners, and is building two ships.
This is secured only by right objects of thought; it is impossible to reach it by voluntary mechanics.
Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge SouthwickOf course, newly acquired Ferns will pay for extra attention in the way of watering until they have secured a proper roothold.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinNever had Punch secured the telling of that tale with so little opposition.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingBut, he finally secured the address of a company who would manufacture a book to exceed 300 pages for fifty cents per book.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
British Dictionary definitions for secure
/ (sɪˈkjʊə) /
free from danger, damage, etc
free from fear, care, etc
in safe custody
not likely to fail, become loose, etc
able to be relied on; certain: a secure investment
nautical stowed away or made inoperative
archaic careless or overconfident
(tr) to obtain or get possession of: I will secure some good seats
(when intr, often foll by against) to make or become free from danger, fear, etc
(tr) to make fast or firm; fasten
(when intr, often foll by against) to make or become certain; guarantee: this plan will secure your happiness
(tr) to assure (a creditor) of payment, as by giving security
(tr) to make (a military position) safe from attack
nautical to make (a vessel or its contents) safe or ready by battening down hatches, stowing gear, etc
(tr) nautical to stow or make inoperative: to secure the radio
Origin of secure
1Derived forms of secure
- securable, adjective
- securely, adverb
- securement, noun
- secureness, noun
- securer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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