ensure
Americanverb (used with object)
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ensures,
present (3rd person singular)
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ensured,
past participle, past
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ensuring
present participle
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to make certain or sure; guarantee
this victory will ensure his happiness
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to make safe or secure; protect
Usage
What's the difference between ensure, insure, and assure? 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. 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:ensure = make sureinsure = cover with insuranceassure = reassureHere’s an example of ensure, insure, 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 ensure, insure, and assure.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ensuresimple
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ensuressimple
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have ensuredperfect
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has ensuredperfect
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am ensuringprogressive
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are ensuringprogressive
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is ensuringprogressive
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have been ensuringperfect progressive
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has been ensuringperfect progressive
Past
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ensuredsimple
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had ensuredperfect
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was ensuringprogressive
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were ensuringprogressive
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had been ensuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ensure
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ensuren, from Anglo-French enseurer; see en- 1 ( def. ), sure ( def. )
Explanation
When you ensure that something will happen, you guarantee it. All that homework will ensure that you have no time for fun this afternoon! Ensure comes from the Old French en- "make" plus seur "sure," and that is exactly what it means today - "to make sure or certain, to guarantee." If you ensure success or someone's safety, you are guaranteeing it. Make sure you can really come through with something before you ensure it!
Vocabulary lists containing ensure
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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Chains
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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:
To ensure a full recovery was possible, surgery followed.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The U.S. would ensure that Syria and Lebanon make securing the border and disrupting smuggling a priority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
In the case of insurers, which hold premium dollars from policyholders for future claims payouts, regulators want to ensure the money is there when it’s needed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The Northern Health Trust said the decision for the move was to ensure a safe, stable and sustainable service and added that Causeway would continue to be an acute hospital with a 24/7 emergency department.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“By accepting what we can do, the kinds of things you’ve already done to help this coyote, and also accepting that there are things we can’t do, like ensure that this particular coyote gets released.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
It’s not a silver bullet that cures polarization, settles complicated policy debates or ensures that everyone gets along.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
"The option we are offering today is the only way forward that ensures this tragedy does not happen again," Nickolay Mladenov, the board's high representative for Gaza, told Israel's Channel 12 television.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
But perhaps the most impressive element of the home is its proximity to the ocean, which ensures jaw-dropping views from every room.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
However, Mr. Starritt keeps his leads center stage and ensures that throughout their professional trials and personal ordeals they remain captivating presences and sympathetic enough to root for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Everyone at the Park has. And everyone working in conjunction with the Park. It ensures protection against espionage and the unauthorized disclosure of information.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
"Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding. This puts children at significant risk of harm," inspectors noted.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The target folders ensured that agents apprehended the correct person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt anchored their innings with an unbeaten 45, but Heather Graham's 4-19 with the ball ensured the home side's innings never really took off as they finished on 126-7.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Even if the directors ensured the two companies create only “good” AI, others—Google, Meta, SpaceX and their Chinese competitors—can still create “bad” AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Moreover, publication ensured that there was a much larger number of ‘virtual onlookers’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
"Ghana was the crime scene where these atrocities took place, so Ghana cannot afford to be silent on ensuring that we hold perpetrators accountable," Ablakwa says.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
A Google spokesperson said the company sees ensuring the safety of advanced AI models as “vitally important to society” and that Hassabis is uniquely positioned to work toward that goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
In Sakhalin, Putin, 73, held a meeting "on ensuring the security of Russia's eastern borders," RIA Novosti said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
This would continue to provide companies strong financial incentives to discover new, innovative therapies, while also ensuring that pricing is tied to objectively measurable value.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Come in,” Kathy said sullenly, ensuring that her voice matched her mood so everybody in the house knew she was still a massive ball of gloom and shame.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
