secure
Americanadjective
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free from or not exposed to danger or harm; safe.
- Antonyms:
- unsafe
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- confident
-
safe from penetration or interception by unauthorized persons.
secure radio communications between army units.
-
Archaic. overconfident.
verb (used with object)
-
secures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
secured,
past participle, past
-
securing
present participle
-
to get hold or possession of; procure; obtain.
to secure materials;
to secure a high government position.
- Synonyms:
- gain
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
secures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
secured,
past participle, past
-
securing
present participle
-
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.
-
adjective
-
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
verb
-
(tr) to obtain or get possession of
I will secure some good seats
-
to make or become free from danger, fear, etc
-
(tr) to make fast or firm; fasten
-
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
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
securementnoun
-
securenessnoun
-
securernoun
-
supersecurenessnoun
-
unsecurenessnoun
-
resecureverb
-
presecureverb (used with object)
-
oversecureadjective
-
quasi-secureadjective
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securableadjective
-
supersecureadjective
-
unsecureadjective
-
well-securedadjective
-
oversecurelyadverb
-
quasi-securelyadverb
-
securelyadverb
-
supersecurelyadverb
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unsecurelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
securesimple
-
securessimple
-
have securedperfect
-
has securedperfect
-
am securingprogressive
-
are securingprogressive
-
is securingprogressive
-
have been securingperfect progressive
-
has been securingperfect progressive
Past
-
securedsimple
-
had securedperfect
-
was securingprogressive
-
were securingprogressive
-
had been securingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of secure
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin sēcūrus “carefree,” equivalent to sē- se- + cūr(a) “care” ( see cure) + -us, adjective suffix; cf. sure
Explanation
Secure means safe, protected. Your money is secure in a bank. Supportive friends and family make you feel secure. Secure can also be used as a verb. You secure the sails before you take out the sailboat, which means you tie them down. If you secure someone a ticket to a popular Broadway play, you've found them a hard-to-find seat. On an airplane, you're told that in the event you need an oxygen mask, you should secure yours — get it in place — before helping someone else. Almost all meanings contain the idea of safety: making sure things are right.
Vocabulary lists containing secure
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Crews then removed some of the failed pavement and moved sand to backfill and secure some of the eroded edges,” the Instagram post read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
When a glacial lake in the Tibet region burst in July last year, causing severe flooding and deaths in Nepal, it brought fresh demands for Nepal to secure real-time information sharing from China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Where line sitters were paid to try to secure Banks’ own family one of the most desirable seats in town.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Varonis is a Miami-based cybersecurity company that helps businesses secure and manage data stored across cloud systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
"So where’s Petunia?" asked Dozer after the puppies were secure on the top step of the animal shelter’s entrance.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
By the time of his silver jubilee in 1935, the position of this reimagined British monarchy was securer than it had ever been.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 2022
In general, it was not a year in which the older novelists made their reputations securer.
From Time Magazine Archive
Armstrong effected the best compromise possible by standing and getting a good “look-see” while he could, and then settling back into a securer position when the boat struck the rough water.
From Down the Columbia by Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome) Freeman
Did it offer any securer hiding-place than the part in which they were?
From Jack Haydon's Quest by John Jellicoe
That which is greatest in him is entirely independent of means; much of what he now accomplishes illegitimately might without doubt be attained in securer modes—what cannot should without hesitation be abandoned.
From Modern Painters Volume I (of V) by John Ruskin
The securest hold was Adam Sandler's: his Grown Ups fell a negligible 14%.
From Time ● Jul. 11, 2010
Vickers, the securest of Otellos onstage, does not always seem comfort able on vinyl.
From Time Magazine Archive
Even threaten the securest position, when long continued.
From Time Magazine Archive
The odds are that Poetry London-New York will not prove the securest of jobs for Tambi.
From Time Magazine Archive
Among the latter, Grand View Inlet, so named from the magnificent scenery surrounding it, situated about eight miles south of Tasso Harbor, is one of the securest retreats for small boats I have ever seen.
From Official Report of the Exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands for the Government of British Columbia by Newton H. (Newton Henry) Chittenden
A chip nobody else would want secures nothing, because a lender who seizes it has nothing to sell.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Replimune secures FDA approval for Tudriqev on its third attempt, making it the company’s first product on the market.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
If the petition secures 218 signatures from House members, the full House will vote on the bill.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Asked about the prospect of Andy Burnham becoming the next PM if he secures the Labour leadership, Baroness Gray said Burnham had a lot of skills to bring to the role.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
I examine it and find a tiny pocket that both secures and conceals the pill.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Last month, Uber and Lyft drivers in California took a significant step toward unionizing when the budding union secured support from 30% of active drivers in the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
However, it wasn’t until she secured the lead role of Sophie in the musical film “Mamma Mia” that she truly became a household name, taking center stage in her first major lead role.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Carney's Liberal Party secured three seats, taking the district of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord in French-speaking Quebec from the opposition Conservatives, and two other districts in Ontario and British Columbia that were previously held by the Liberals.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Against Aston Villa they showed it again, without allowing a shot on target against them as Bukayo Saka's second-half goal secured victory.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
But even with their money secured, they still traveled back and forth to Daffodil Manor instead of staying on like Cook and Mr. Henry did.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Turning professional was one thing, but securing both the right team and commercial backing was another challenge.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
It then returned to the market in 2019 for the much higher price of $22.8 million, but ultimately sold for almost half that amount, securing a buyer for $11.98 million in 2021.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Concern has been rising over Nvidia’s involvement in securing financing for data-center projects it is supplying and for investments in companies that are also customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
From Leonardo DiCaprio’s 104-acre escape off the coast of Belize to Johnny Depp’s idyllic Bahamian getaway, these stars have spent millions securing their own slices of paradise.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Within a matter of months, his agent had resold it to a new publisher, paying off his debt and securing a plan for publication.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
