assurance
Americannoun
-
assurances
plural
-
a positive declaration intended to give confidence.
He received assurances of support for the project.
-
promise or pledge; guaranty; surety.
He gave his assurance that the job would be done.
-
full confidence; freedom from doubt; certainty.
to act in the assurance of success.
- Antonyms:
- uncertainty
-
freedom from timidity; self-confidence; belief in one's abilities.
She acted with speed and assurance.
- Antonyms:
- uncertainty
-
presumptuous boldness; impudence.
- Synonyms:
- cheek, nerve, impertinence, effrontery
- Antonyms:
- uncertainty
-
Chiefly British. insurance.
noun
-
a statement, assertion, etc, intended to inspire confidence or give encouragement
she was helped by his assurance that she would cope
-
a promise or pledge of support
he gave an assurance of help when needed
-
freedom from doubt; certainty
his assurance about his own superiority infuriated her
-
forwardness; impudence
-
insurance providing for certainties such as death as contrasted with fire or theft
Usage
What does assurance mean? An assurance is a positive promise, pledge, or guarantee. It is intended to dispel the listener’s doubts and give them confidence. When we are worried about something, an assurance from a trusted source can ease our anxieties. If you’re nervous about a volcano erupting, a scientist could give you assurance that it’s not meant to blow for 500 more years. The assurance might help you feel more safe and certain. Example: When Marya’s teacher asked why she hadn’t submitted her assignment, Marya gave an assurance that the essay was on its way.
Synonym Usage
See trust. See confidence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of assurance
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English ass(e)ura(u)nce, from Middle French ass(e)urance; equivalent to assure + -ance
Explanation
An assurance is a vote of confidence. If you give your friend an assurance that you'll be there, you'd better show up. If you pledge to do something or make a binding commitment to do it, you can use the noun assurance. If the bank is going to loan you money to buy a house, they are going to need some sort of assurance that you will repay the loan in a timely manner. If you have confidence in yourself and your abilities, you can also use assurance to describe that — "The baseball team played with assurance, quickly racking up a seven point lead."
Vocabulary lists containing assurance
Bud, Not Buddy
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Promises, Promises
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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:
Platforms do not have to use the app but they must use an age assurance tool that checks how old new users are.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Chief Facilities Executive Krisztina Tokes could offer no such assurance, advising the board that state earthquake mitigation funds are underfunded and oversubscribed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
A sense of assurance is crucial to her, in part because she has experienced homelessness and housing insecurity.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Plus, Zimmer had received assurance that Harvard would continue recruiting at Jewish day schools, to the extent it could in the post-affirmative action legal landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Kaede remembered Maire Morighan’s theory that these disparate events were all connected, but Taisin spoke with an assurance that was surprising.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Some executives considering investing in Venezuela have sought her out, said members of her team, seeking assurances that deals struck with the current government would be honored in any transition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
"Based on these assurances, we are satisfied that appropriate arrangements are in place and that there is no adverse impact on the performance of the commissioner's official responsibilities," she added.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on X she was "seeking assurances that lessons will be learned and systems that support aviation are up to the job".
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
Carney said a lack of these assurances in talks last month led to a collapse in negotiations and triggered new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Eager agents answered the inquiries with assurances that there was plenty of inexpensive land available.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
