assure

[uh-shoor, uh-shur]

verb (used with object)

assured, assuring 

1. to declare earnestly to; inform or tell positively; state with confidence to.

   She assured us that everything would turn out all right.

2. to cause to know surely; reassure.

   He assured himself that no one was left on the bus.

3. to pledge or promise; give surety of; guarantee.

   He was assured a job in the spring.

4. to make (a future event) sure; ensure.

   This contract assures the company's profit this month.

5. to secure or confirm; render safe or stable.

   to assure a person's position.

6. to give confidence to; encourage.

7. Chiefly British.,  to insure, as against loss.

assure

/ əˈʃʊə /

verb

1. to cause to feel sure or certain; convince

   to assure a person of one's love

2. to promise; guarantee

   he assured us that he would come

3. to state positively or with assurance

4. to make (an event) certain; ensure

5. to insure against loss, esp of life

6. property law another word for convey

Other Word Forms

• assurer noun
• assurable adjective
• assuror noun
• interassure verb (used with object)
• preassure verb (used with object)
• unassuring adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assure¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English as(e)uren, assuren, from Old French aseurer, from Late Latin assēcūrāre, from Latin as- as- + sēcūr(us) ( secure ) + -āre, infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of assure¹

C14: from Old French aseürer to assure, from Medieval Latin assēcūrāre to secure or make sure, from sēcūrus _secure

Example Sentences

Although social workers assured us our family would be permanent, the boys couldn’t appear on screen due to privacy rules.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With the host nations assured of berths as co-hosts, qualifying in the region was changed to feature a final round comprising three groups of four.

Read more on Barron's

“I assure you, the vessel of Tihange 2 could last another 40 years,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The military government has assured residents it is only a temporary issue, but there are fears the new stock will quickly run out - as others complain about price hikes.

Read more on BBC

For example, when someone says they don’t know much about wine, he assures them: “You know what you like.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• confirm 
• ensure 
• guarantee 
• insure 
• secure 

When To Use

What's the difference between assure, ensure, and insure?

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.