insurance

American  

[in-shoor-uhns, -shur-] / ɪnˈʃʊər əns, -ˈʃɜr- /

noun

• insurances
  plural

1. the act, system, or business of insuring property, life, one's person, etc., against loss or harm arising in specified contingencies, as fire, accident, death, disablement, or the like, in consideration of a payment proportionate to the risk involved.

2. coverage by contract in which one party agrees to indemnify or reimburse another for loss that occurs under the terms of the contract.

3. the contract itself, set forth in a written or printed agreement or policy.

4. the amount for which anything is insured.

5. an insurance premium.

6. any means of guaranteeing against loss or harm.

   Taking vitamin C is viewed as an insurance against catching colds.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a score that increases a team's lead and insures that the lead will be held if the opposing team should score once more.

   The home run gave the team an insurance run, making the score 7-5.

insurance British  

/ ɪnˈʃʊərəns, -ˈʃɔː- /

noun

1. 1. the act, system, or business of providing financial protection for property, life, health, etc, against specified contingencies, such as death, loss, or damage, and involving payment of regular premiums in return for a policy guaranteeing such protection

   2. the state of having such protection

   3. Also called: insurance policy.  the policy providing such protection

   4. the pecuniary amount of such protection

   5. the premium payable in return for such protection

   6. ( as modifier )

      insurance agent

      insurance broker

      insurance company

2. a means of protecting or safeguarding against risk or injury

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noninsurance
  noun
• preinsurance
  noun
• proinsurance
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• insurances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of insurance

First recorded in 1545–55; insure + -ance

Explanation

Insurance is a contract where you pay a little money at a time so you can be compensated later, especially in the case of a disaster. Many people consider insurance to be making a kind of bet that bad things will happen: that's a good bet to make, because nobody is lucky forever. Legally, you need car insurance to drive. Without medical insurance, a serious illness could leave you broke. Life insurance is important so your family gets support when you die. House or apartment insurance will help if you have a fire. Insurance agents sell insurance policies, and they always have lots of customers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

insurance insurances

I’m referring, of course, to conversations about the type of care I might need one day and how to pay for it, as well as information about my estate plans, financial advisers, investments and insurance.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

Philip Enan, 48, insurance executive, of Harrison, N.Y., who has used StubHub for 15 years:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Instead of billing insurance for routine office visits, they’re charging patients directly through a monthly or annual membership fee, a model known as direct primary care, or DPC.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Dodgers president Stan Kasten says the team is not going to be sold amid financial difficulties of majority owner Mark Walter’s companies and a federal inquiry into his insurance empire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

In 2004 he began to buy insurance on companies he thought might suffer in a real estate downturn: mortgage lenders, mortgage insurers, and so on.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

It said it would waive payments of "tariffs" and "Iranian insurances" for ships passing during the 60 days.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

Actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, tweeted Tuesday that “one of the major insurances companies canceled all the policies in our neighborhood about four months ago.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025

The act only covers health insurance, excluding long-term, disability, life, and other insurances.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024

There have been reports of coding issues and some hiccups with some insurances not covering the cost of the vaccines, but "hopefully these issues will get ironed out very soon," says Hotez.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 3, 2023

Ladders were raised, and they were opened, when it was discovered that their contents, consisting of deeds and other papers connected with the Company and their insurances, were uninjured. 

From Gossip in the First Decade of Victoria's Reign by John Ashton

Related Words

• allowance
• coverage
• guarantee