ensure

[ en-shoor, -shur ]

verb (used with object)

, en·sured, en·sur·ing.

1. to secure or guarantee:

   This letter will ensure you a hearing.

2. to make sure or certain:

   measures to ensure the success of an undertaking.

3. to make secure or safe, as from harm.

   Synonyms: safeguard, guard, protect

4. insure ( defs 1, 2, 3 ).

ensure

/ -ˈʃɔː; ɛnˈʃʊə /

verb

1. may take a clause as object to make certain or sure; guarantee

   this victory will ensure his happiness

2. to make safe or secure; protect

Derived Forms

• enˈsurer, noun

Other Words From

• en·surer noun
• unen·sured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ensure¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ensuren, from Anglo-French enseurer; en- ¹( def ), sure ( def )

Example Sentences

Asked what part the government had played in the private sector agreement, he said it had helped "setting the strategy, by being clear about the orders we need, to ensure those deals take place".

From BBC

Dame Sarah thanked those involved with the show and medical staff for ensuring she is "already fixed and home with rehab underway".

From BBC

The decision ensures continuity at a moment when the Kennedy Center, like much of Washington, is preparing for a second Trump administration.

From New York Times

"It shows just how well the GPS ensured that they would only work in the brain. The same strategy even worked to clear brain metastases of breast cancer."

From Science Daily

“The goal was to ensure that businesses received the support and resources they needed to recover and rebuild.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assure
• establish
• insure
• protect
• provide
• safeguard
• secure

Ensure Vs. Insure Vs. Assure

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 sure
insure = cover with insurance
assure = reassure

Here’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.

Quiz yourself on ensure vs. insure vs. assure!

Should ensure, insure, or assure be used in the following sentence?

We need to take action to _____ that this never happens again.