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insure

[ in-shoor, -shur ]
/ ɪnˈʃʊər, -ˈʃɜr /
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See synonyms for: insure / insured / insuring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·sured, in·sur·ing.
to guarantee against loss or harm.
to secure indemnity to or on, in case of loss, damage, or death.
to issue or procure an insurance policy on or for.
verb (used without object), in·sured, in·sur·ing.
to issue or procure an insurance policy.
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Origin of insure

1400–50; late Middle English; variant of ensure

OTHER WORDS FROM insure

o·ver·in·sure, verb (used with object), o·ver·in·sured, o·ver·in·sur·ing.pre·in·sure, verb (used with object), pre·in·sured, pre·in·sur·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

INSURE VS. ENSURE VS. ASSURE

What's the difference between insureensure, 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 insurance
ensure = make sure
assure = reassure

Here’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.

Quiz yourself on insure vs. ensure vs. assure!

Should insure, ensure, or assure be used in the following sentence?

We need to take action to _____ that this never happens again.

How to use insure in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for insure

insure
/ (ɪnˈʃʊə, -ˈʃɔː) /

verb
(often foll by against) to guarantee or protect (against risk, loss, etc)we insured against disappointment by making an early reservation
(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
another word (esp US) for ensure (def. 1), ensure (def. 2)
Also (rare) (for senses 1, 2): ensure

Derived forms of insure

insurable, adjectiveinsurability, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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