insurance
Americannoun
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insurances
plural
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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.
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coverage by contract in which one party agrees to indemnify or reimburse another for loss that occurs under the terms of the contract.
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the contract itself, set forth in a written or printed agreement or policy.
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the amount for which anything is insured.
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an insurance premium.
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any means of guaranteeing against loss or harm.
Taking vitamin C is viewed as an insurance against catching colds.
adjective
noun
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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
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the state of having such protection
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Also called: insurance policy. the policy providing such protection
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the pecuniary amount of such protection
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the premium payable in return for such protection
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( as modifier )
insurance agent
insurance broker
insurance company
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a means of protecting or safeguarding against risk or injury
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of insurance
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.
Vocabulary lists containing insurance
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Economics
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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:
He claimed that these included S$206,000 in credit card charges, S$129,000 for overseas trips, S$17,000 to engage a fengshui master for her apartment, and S$20,000 to pay for her life insurance premiums.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
It puts software, consumer services, property and casualty insurance, finance, health insurance, asset managers and media in this field.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
The next step for the union is to negotiate a contract with Uber and Lyft that meets drivers’ demands, including health insurance, support for high gas prices and more transparency around pay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
He worked from home, like my dad, an insurance salesman, did.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
“The license and insurance stuff. I can’t start this new job until I submit those documents.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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
It comprises a series of insurances for laborers, to secure them from losses by sickness, accidents, invalidity, and age.
From A History of Germany From the Earliest Times to the Present Day by Bayard Taylor
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.
