insurance
Americannoun
-
the act, system, or business of insuring property, life, one's person, etc., against loss or harm arising in specified contingencies, as fire, accident, death, disablement, or the like, in consideration of a payment proportionate to the risk involved.
-
coverage by contract in which one party agrees to indemnify or reimburse another for loss that occurs under the terms of the contract.
-
the contract itself, set forth in a written or printed agreement or policy.
-
the amount for which anything is insured.
-
an insurance premium.
-
any means of guaranteeing against loss or harm.
Taking vitamin C is viewed as an insurance against catching colds.
adjective
noun
-
-
the act, system, or business of providing financial protection for property, life, health, etc, against specified contingencies, such as death, loss, or damage, and involving payment of regular premiums in return for a policy guaranteeing such protection
-
the state of having such protection
-
Also called: insurance policy. the policy providing such protection
-
the pecuniary amount of such protection
-
the premium payable in return for such protection
-
( as modifier )
insurance agent
insurance broker
insurance company
-
-
a means of protecting or safeguarding against risk or injury
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of insurance
Explanation
Insurance is a contract where you pay a little money at a time so you can be compensated later, especially in the case of a disaster. Many people consider insurance to be making a kind of bet that bad things will happen: that's a good bet to make, because nobody is lucky forever. Legally, you need car insurance to drive. Without medical insurance, a serious illness could leave you broke. Life insurance is important so your family gets support when you die. House or apartment insurance will help if you have a fire. Insurance agents sell insurance policies, and they always have lots of customers.
Vocabulary lists containing insurance
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Economics
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"As a rule, insurance firms won't make allowances for 'disinclination to travel'," Boland says.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
This means that, in many cases, travellers might not be covered by their insurance in the case of wildfires.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Anna-Marie Duthie, travel insurance expert at financial rating firm Defaqto, says that if this happens after you have booked your trip, "you may be covered for cancellation or curtailment".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Regulators are wrestling with the arrangements, which have led to a surge in “affiliated” transactions where the private-asset firms are managing the investments for their insurance units.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The next morning Charlie called back Morgan Stanley in hopes of buying more insurance.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
It said it would waive payments of "tariffs" and "Iranian insurances" for ships passing during the 60 days.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, tweeted Tuesday that “one of the major insurances companies canceled all the policies in our neighborhood about four months ago.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
The act only covers health insurance, excluding long-term, disability, life, and other insurances.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024
There have been reports of coding issues and some hiccups with some insurances not covering the cost of the vaccines, but "hopefully these issues will get ironed out very soon," says Hotez.
From National Geographic ● Oct. 3, 2023
The estimated insurances on the buildings were $7,276,446, and on stock, $14,525,264, making a total of $21,801,710.
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.
