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assure
[uh-shoor, uh-shur]
verb (used with object)
to declare earnestly to; inform or tell positively; state with confidence to.
She assured us that everything would turn out all right.
to cause to know surely; reassure.
He assured himself that no one was left on the bus.
to pledge or promise; give surety of; guarantee.
He was assured a job in the spring.
to make (a future event) sure; ensure.
This contract assures the company's profit this month.
to secure or confirm; render safe or stable.
to assure a person's position.
to give confidence to; encourage.
Chiefly British., to insure, as against loss.
assure
/ əˈʃʊə /
verb
to cause to feel sure or certain; convince
to assure a person of one's love
to promise; guarantee
he assured us that he would come
to state positively or with assurance
to make (an event) certain; ensure
to insure against loss, esp of life
property law another word for convey
Other Word Forms
- assurer noun
- assuror noun
- interassure verb (used with object)
- preassure verb (used with object)
- unassuring adjective
- assurable adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of assure1
Example Sentences
Greg assured me that even in dense fog you know where land is by sensing the direction of the waves.
Before letting Tom go, he directs him to a picnic spot that he assures the bird-watching enthusiast he will find beautiful, telling him, “You’re a decent man.”
As the Emcee assures in his opening and closing words, “So, life is disappointing? Forget it! In here, life is beautiful. The girls are beautiful. Even the orchestra is beautiful.”
Amorim assured fans the situation would improve because he had more time to work with his players without the midweek distraction of European football.
He insisted all camps leading up the World Cup, with England needing only five points to assure qualification, would be about building competition and shaping his squad as well as results.
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When To Use
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. Ensure most commonly means to guarantee or make certain, as in Working hard ensures success. Insure typically means to guarantee against loss or harm or, more specifically, to cover with insurance.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:assure = reassureensure = make sureinsure = cover with insuranceHere’s an example of assure, ensure, and insure 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 assure, ensure, and insure.
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