insulate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
to place in an isolated situation or condition; segregate.
verb
-
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
- noninsulating adjective
- preinsulate verb (used with object)
- reinsulate verb (used with object)
- superinsulated adjective
- uninsulated adjective
- well-insulated adjective
Etymology
Origin of insulate
First recorded in 1530–40, insulate is from the Latin word insulātus made into an island. See insula, -ate 1
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.
Any cases brought under the SEC’s old “insulated” regime must be dismissed, the filings say.
From Barron's
It may be that a newer building would suit you — one that is suitably insulated and will require less maintenance.
From MarketWatch
PEDS1 is needed to produce plasmalogens, a specific type of membrane phospholipid that is especially abundant in myelin, the fatty coating that insulates nerve fibers.
From Science Daily
Demyelination is the process in which the myelin sheath -- a protective, insulating layer surrounding nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord -- is damaged or destroyed.
From Science Daily
What’s Next: U.S. shale producers are largely insulated because their output is predominantly light crude, which isn’t a substitute for Venezuelan heavy oil.
From Barron's
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.
