insulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to place in an isolated situation or condition; segregate.
verb
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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
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to isolate or detach
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preinsulateverb (used with object)
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reinsulateverb (used with object)
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noninsulatingadjective
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superinsulatedadjective
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uninsulatedadjective
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well-insulatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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insulatesimple
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insulatessimple
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have insulatedperfect
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has insulatedperfect
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am insulatingprogressive
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are insulatingprogressive
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is insulatingprogressive
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have been insulatingperfect progressive
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has been insulatingperfect progressive
Past
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insulatedsimple
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had insulatedperfect
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was insulatingprogressive
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were insulatingprogressive
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had been insulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of insulate
First recorded in 1530–40, insulate is from the Latin word insulātus made into an island. See insula, -ate 1
Explanation
The verb insulate means "protect from heat, cold, or noise," like when you add an extra layer of clothing to insulate yourself from the cold. You can insulate a wall to keep sound out, or insulate your house to keep cold air from getting inside. So, to insulate is to protect against unwanted changes. Sometimes this can mean keeping out the influence or beliefs of other people, like a parent who tries to insulate his children from people who have different cultures or beliefs. You can see this meaning in the origin of insulate: the Latin word insula, meaning “to make into an island.”
Vocabulary lists containing insulate
Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
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This Week in Words: February 12 - 16, 2018
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Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Middle School
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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:
The electrification target unveiled in Bonn was "a flagship initiative" of COP31 that could respond to this crisis and help insulate economies from fossil fuel price shocks, the Turkish conference organisers said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
The Liberal Democrats also want families on low incomes to be able to insulate their home and install heat pumps for free.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
But, in effect, this radically tipped the balance of power in favor of a series of headstrong police chiefs, who sought to insulate the department from political interference.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
But even stable banking systems cannot insulate economies from ships sinking, harvests failing or strikes closing mines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
I could stay and help protect Oak, help insulate him from Madoc’s influence.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
The New Civil Liberties Alliance petitioned the agency in 2023 to rescind the policy because it violates the First Amendment, unlawfully insulates the agency from criticism, and exceeds the agency’s authority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
She’s looking into options like a cover that insulates the water, hybrid heaters and new electric heating models.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026
The historical record here may show that being a lame duck insulates a Fed chair from political pressures.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026
It insulates the water in winter while allowing it to melt in summer, Siebach said.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2026
They bought a parka made of reindeer skin, because reindeer hair is hollow and insulates well; and the hood was lined with wolverine fur, because that sheds the ice that forms when you breathe.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
One reader uses an insulated lunch bag with reusable ice packs, along with sodas, so she doesn’t have to pay vending machine prices.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Humphrey’s Executor held that Congress could establish “independent” agencies, whose officers were substantially insulated from presidential removal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Now, at 80-years-old in his second term, he remains largely insulated from sustained scrutiny about his health.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
While he also briefly studied overseas in Switzerland, he was said to be a lot more insulated than his half-brother Kim Jong Nam.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
My hands dig around in my closet until I find the insulated winter gear Cinna made for me for recreational use on the Victory Tour.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Unlike electricity, to which AI is often compared, users don’t have to wait for a power line or the invention of capacitors, insulating materials and electric motors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Having nuclear power could eventually lessen Saudi Arabia's reliance on oil, insulating it from volatilities in the global oil market, said Christopher Russo, an energy expert at the consulting firm Charles River Associates.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
These entities are typically aimed at insulating the parent company from the risks and liabilities of a speculative investment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Cook “are almost comically irreconcilable as a matter of logic,” argues Mark in a piece that explains how the justices simultaneously expanded executive power while insulating the one agency it appears to truly value.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
We winced and turned into mummies, staring vacantly, insulating ourselves against further insults.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
