security

American  

[si-kyoor-i-tee] / sɪˈkjʊər ɪ ti /

noun

• securities
  plural

1. freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.

2. freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence.

   Synonyms:

   positiveness, certainty, assurance

3. something that secures or makes safe; protection; defense.

   Synonyms:

   safety, safeguard

4. freedom from financial cares or from want.

   The insurance policy gave the family security.

5. precautions taken to guard against crime, attack, sabotage, espionage, etc..

   claims that security was lax at the embassy;

   the importance of computer security to prevent hackers from gaining access.

6. a department or organization responsible for protection or safety.

   He called security when he spotted the intruder.

7. protection or precautions taken against escape; custody.

   The dangerous criminal was placed under maximum security.

8. an assurance; guarantee.

9. Law.

   1. something given or deposited as surety for the fulfillment of a promise or an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.

   2. one who becomes surety for another.

10. an evidence of debt or of property, as a bond or a certificate of stock.

11. Usually securities. stocks and bonds.

12. Archaic. overconfidence; cockiness.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or serving as security.

   The company has instituted stricter security measures.

security British  

/ sɪˈkjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being secure

2. assured freedom from poverty or want

   he needs the security of a permanent job

3. a person or thing that secures, guarantees, etc

4. precautions taken to ensure against theft, espionage, etc

   the security in the government offices was not very good

5. (often plural)

   1. a certificate of creditorship or property carrying the right to receive interest or dividend, such as shares or bonds

   2. the financial asset represented by such a certificate

6. the specific asset that a creditor can claim title to in the event of default on an obligation

7. something given or pledged to secure the fulfilment of a promise or obligation

8. a person who undertakes to fulfil another person's obligation

9. the protection of data to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to computer files

10. archaic carelessness or overconfidence

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security Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing security

• lull into (false sense of security)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsecurity
  noun
• oversecurity
  noun
• self-security
  noun
• subsecurity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• securities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of security

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English securytye, securite(e), from Latin sēcūritās; see origin at secure, -ity

Explanation

Security means safety, as well as the measures taken to be safe or protected. In order to provide adequate security for the parade, town officials often hire extra guards. A small child will sometimes latch on to a blanket or stuffed animal that gives him or her the feeling of security. Often this word is used in compounds such as a security measure, security check or security guard. The security department in a business is sometimes just called security. If there's a troublesome customer at your work, call security to take him away. In the financial world, a stock or bond is also called a security.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

security securities

When locals showed up to protest, hired security guards blocked the site.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The authority said it had spent almost £60,000 on safety barriers, administration and paying for a security guard to keep watch over it.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Romania border police recorded the sound of the drone, then a Bulgarian border police patrol spotted "a loud explosion accompanied by black smoke", Radev added, speaking after an extraordinary meeting of his cabinet's security council.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

Abdolreza Davari, an analyst who once advised former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Iran’s effective control of the strait has given it leverage with the U.S. and regional countries that can help guarantee its security.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Only then, under the bright fluorescents, did he let the lighter go out, clutching it like a security blanket.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Yields on Japan’s 10-year government bonds rise 2 bps to 2.780%, that on Australia’s 10-year sovereign securities climb 5 bps to 4.9690%, and those on New Zealand’s 10-year government debt gain 3 bps to 4.7080%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Its use as a major currency for global payments and securities issuance remains very strong.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

If he was implying that the money was specifically pigeonholed for an accelerated retirement of government securities, that’s untrue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Cryptocurrencies sold to raise money for an enterprise would generally be treated as securities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Among my classmates at Harvard, the thing that bright young guys did was securities work or tax,” another white-shoe partner remembers.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• bond
• care
• freedom
• guarantee
• insurance
• preservation
• surveillance