insure

American  

[in-shoor, -shur] / ɪnˈʃʊər, -ˈʃɜr /

verb (used with object)

• insures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• insured,
  past participle,  past
• insuring
  present participle

1. to guarantee against loss or harm.

   Synonyms:

   warrant

2. to secure indemnity to or on, in case of loss, damage, or death.

3. to issue or procure an insurance policy on or for.

4. ensure.

   Synonyms:

   assure

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verb (used without object)

• insures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• insured,
  past participle,  past
• insuring
  present participle

1. to issue or procure an insurance policy.

insure British  

/ ɪnˈʃʊə, -ˈʃɔː /

verb

1. (often foll by against) to guarantee or protect (against risk, loss, etc)

   we insured against disappointment by making an early reservation

2. (often foll by against) to issue (a person) with an insurance policy or take out an insurance policy (on)

   his house was heavily insured against fire

   after all his car accidents the company refuses to insure him again

3. another word (esp US) for ensure ensure

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Usage

What's the difference between insure, ensure, and assure? Insure typically means to guarantee against loss or harm or, more specifically, to cover with insurance. Ensure most commonly means to guarantee or make certain, as in Working hard ensures success. 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:insure = cover with insuranceensure = make sureassure = reassureHere’s an example of insure, ensure, 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 insure, ensure, and assure.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• insurability
  noun
• overinsure
  verb (used with object)
• preinsure
  verb (used with object)
• insurable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• insuring
  present
• insured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• insure
  simple
• insures
  simple
• have insured
  perfect
• has insured
  perfect
• am insuring
  progressive
• are insuring
  progressive
• is insuring
  progressive
• have been insuring
  perfect progressive
• has been insuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• insured
  simple
• had insured
  perfect
• was insuring
  progressive
• were insuring
  progressive
• had been insuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will insure
  simple
• will have insured
  perfect
• will be insuring
  progressive
• will have been insuring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of insure

1400–50; late Middle English; variant of ensure

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Explanation

To insure is to guarantee or protect the monetary value of something with, as you might imagine, insurance. We insure, or protect, our homes and cars and other valuables against loss or damage from accidents by taking out insurance policies. To insure is to pay an insurance company regularly so that if something goes wrong, they’ll help cover the costs. Although it’s certainly reassuring to have insurance, the word insure always has a financial aspect.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

insure insures insured insuring

The government helps private businesses insure against military risks up to nearly $700,000 in the most dangerous regions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Major carriers from large swaths of the state are now refusing to insure even low-risk properties with minimal danger of burning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Elderly artists have to pay extra to insure their concerts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Angela Tran, a public-relations account executive in the New York City area, pays $165 a month to insure her dog and two cats.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

The United Mine Workers of America petitioned for a special prosecutor in an effort to insure an unbiased prosecution, dateline: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1923.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

The Federal Housing Administration insures mortgages with 3.5% down payments, though borrowers must pay premiums equal to 1.75% of the loan amount, plus a roughly 0.55% annual fee for the life of the loan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Department of Housing and Urban Development that insures home loans for lenders.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 12, 2025

So does the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, which insures anyone with a U.S. bank account.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2025

The company, which had about a 20% share of the homeowners insurance market in 2023, insures about 1 million homeowners in the state, and also has 1.8 million other policies in force.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2025

A pressure of approximately 25 pounds is maintained by the pressure system, which insures efficient lubrication at all speeds of the motor.

From Aviation Engines Design?Construction?Operation and Repair by Victor Wilfred Pag?

The former employees said the companies applied the same approach to both Medicaid and privately insured patients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

While he declined to reveal to CNN how much the diamond was insured for, he noted that extensive academic study into the properties of the diamond had taken place to make it uniquely identifiable.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Marchesi Antinori chief executive Renzo Cottarella said the stolen bottles weren't insured.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Those without experience, who are generally not insured, can try them out on the lake which is likely to cause an accident," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

“Well, for one thing I just insured your sister's babies, Sarah and Stephen.”

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

The reason is that the cost of insuring his home and rentals is a few thousand dollars a year, much lower than the potential out-of-pocket cost he would face if he had to rebuild them.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

It is entirely the choice of an individual as to whether it is worth insuring belongings while off at university or college.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

A better way of insuring arbitrator impartiality is for both you and the firm to name an intermediary that chooses an arbitrator acceptable to both you and the firm.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

Buffett has lavished praise on the executive for his preternatural ability to craft offbeat policies, including insuring Chicago’s tallest building against terrorist attacks and Pepsi against having to award a $1 billion raffle prize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

He recommended that Ned also consider insuring Pearl’s life and offered to pay the initial premiums.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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Related Words

• assure
• cover
• guarantee
• hedge
• safeguard
• shield
• underwrite

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