insulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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insulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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insulated,
past participle, past
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insulating
present participle
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to cover, line, or separate with a material that prevents or reduces the passage, transfer, or leakage of heat, electricity, or sound.
to insulate an electric wire with a rubber sheath; to insulate a coat with down.
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to place in an isolated situation or condition; segregate.
verb
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to prevent or reduce the transmission of electricity, heat, or sound to or from (a body, device, or region) by surrounding with a nonconducting material
-
to isolate or detach
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preinsulateverb (used with object)
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reinsulateverb (used with object)
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noninsulatingadjective
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superinsulatedadjective
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uninsulatedadjective
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well-insulatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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insulatesimple
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insulatessimple
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have insulatedperfect
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has insulatedperfect
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am insulatingprogressive
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are insulatingprogressive
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is insulatingprogressive
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have been insulatingperfect progressive
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has been insulatingperfect progressive
Past
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insulatedsimple
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had insulatedperfect
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was insulatingprogressive
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were insulatingprogressive
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had been insulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of insulate
First recorded in 1530–40, insulate is from the Latin word insulātus made into an island. See insula, -ate 1
Explanation
The verb insulate means "protect from heat, cold, or noise," like when you add an extra layer of clothing to insulate yourself from the cold. You can insulate a wall to keep sound out, or insulate your house to keep cold air from getting inside. So, to insulate is to protect against unwanted changes. Sometimes this can mean keeping out the influence or beliefs of other people, like a parent who tries to insulate his children from people who have different cultures or beliefs. You can see this meaning in the origin of insulate: the Latin word insula, meaning “to make into an island.”
Vocabulary lists containing insulate
Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
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This Week in Words: February 12 - 16, 2018
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Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Middle School
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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:
The Netherlands hopes to insulate the court by activating the European Union’s “blocking statute,” a rule that would ban EU companies from complying with the sanctions and thereby expose them to U.S. secondary sanctions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
"You won't necessarily be able to insulate every single wall," Morton says, "but by even doing the 50% best is actually massive in terms of energy bills."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
A huge wrinkle is that larger cities and metro areas benefit from economies of scale that help insulate them: they can afford dedicated OT security staff and redundant control systems.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
The suit is an attempt to insulate Paramount from those costs, which it says will only accrue because of the ongoing legal action.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
It appears that McCandless was saving them to insulate his clothing or perhaps to make a feather pillow.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
The company is known for food flavorings like monosodium glutamate—or MSG—but also for being the dominant supplier of Ajinomoto Build-up Film, a product that insulates the layers connecting processors to a chip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
She’s looking into options like a cover that insulates the water, hybrid heaters and new electric heating models.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026
The historical record here may show that being a lame duck insulates a Fed chair from political pressures.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026
"Investors and global central banks have... favoured gold as their reserve currency of choice, which they believe insulates them from US policy dependence," says Wall.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
Myelin is often likened to the plastic coating around electrical wires—it insulates the neural circuits, making them about a hundred times faster than unmyelinated circuits.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Oligodendrocytes have traditionally been regarded as beneficial because they help keep nerve fibers insulated and functioning properly.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
Those electricity-providers look insulated from the data center owner’s problems.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The attack was another blow to the emirate’s image as a haven insulated from the region’s turmoil, after the Iran war raised fears about flying to a city synonymous with luxury travel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Those theories have found roots even in an insulated community with limited access to computers, Weiser said.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
She packs the containers into a large insulated bag.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Westinghouse has since focused more on its core business—making nuclear fuel, refueling reactors and maintaining many of the world’s nuclear power plants—while insulating itself from civil construction risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Colder air can hold less water vapor, which normally acts like an insulating blanket around Earth.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
But Apple’s “go-slow” strategy comes in handy on days when investor concerns about AI overspending flare up, insulating the stock from downturns that hit the semiconductor space.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
These manmade chemicals are stable, resistant to extreme temperatures and pressures and have insulating properties.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But there was no insulating the sounds: the wail of a baby, the din of radios, the angry words of a family quarrel.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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