secure
Americanadjective
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free from or not exposed to danger or harm; safe.
- Antonyms:
- unsafe
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dependable; firm; not liable to fail, yield, become displaced, etc., as a support or a fastening.
The building was secure, even in an earthquake.
-
affording safety, as a place.
He needed a secure hideout.
-
in safe custody or keeping.
Here in the vault the necklace was secure.
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free from care; without anxiety.
emotionally secure.
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firmly established, as a relationship or reputation.
He earned a secure place among the baseball immortals.
-
sure; certain; assured.
secure of victory;
secure in religious belief.
- Synonyms:
- confident
-
safe from penetration or interception by unauthorized persons.
secure radio communications between army units.
-
Archaic. overconfident.
verb (used with object)
-
to get hold or possession of; procure; obtain.
to secure materials;
to secure a high government position.
- Synonyms:
- gain
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to free from danger or harm; make safe.
Sandbags secured the town during the flood.
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to effect; make certain of; ensure.
The novel secured his reputation.
-
to make firm or fast, as by attaching.
to secure a rope.
-
Finance.
-
to assure payment of (a debt) by pledging property.
-
to assure (a creditor) of payment by the pledge or mortgaging of property.
-
-
to lock or fasten against intruders.
to secure the doors.
-
to protect from attack by taking cover, by building fortifications, etc..
The regiment secured its position.
-
to capture (a person or animal).
No one is safe until the murderer is secured.
-
to tie up (a person), especially by binding the person's arms or hands; pinion.
-
to guarantee the privacy or secrecy of.
to secure diplomatic phone conversations.
verb (used without object)
-
to be or become safe; have or obtain security.
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Nautical.
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to cover openings and make movable objects fast.
The crew was ordered to secure for sea.
-
to be excused from duty.
to secure from general quarters.
-
adjective
-
free from danger, damage, etc
-
free from fear, care, etc
-
in safe custody
-
not likely to fail, become loose, etc
-
able to be relied on; certain
a secure investment
-
nautical stowed away or made inoperative
-
archaic careless or overconfident
verb
-
(tr) to obtain or get possession of
I will secure some good seats
-
to make or become free from danger, fear, etc
-
(tr) to make fast or firm; fasten
-
to make or become certain; guarantee
this plan will secure your happiness
-
(tr) to assure (a creditor) of payment, as by giving security
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(tr) to make (a military position) safe from attack
-
nautical to make (a vessel or its contents) safe or ready by battening down hatches, stowing gear, etc
-
(tr) nautical to stow or make inoperative
to secure the radio
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- oversecure adjective
- oversecurely adverb
- presecure verb (used with object)
- quasi-secure adjective
- quasi-securely adverb
- resecure verb
- securable adjective
- securely adverb
- securement noun
- secureness noun
- securer noun
- supersecure adjective
- supersecurely adverb
- supersecureness noun
- unsecure adjective
- unsecurely adverb
- unsecureness noun
- well-secured adjective
Etymology
Origin of secure
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin sēcūrus “carefree,” equivalent to sē- se- + cūr(a) “care” ( cure ) + -us, adjective suffix; sure
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.
Take, for example, the so-called Coalition of the Willing group of countries, led by the UK and France and formed to secure Ukrainian sovereignty in the case of an eventual peace deal with Russia.
From BBC
Top spot in the group and a place in the quarter-finals were already secured before Canada took on France in Milan.
From Barron's
"The landlords in this building pay rates, tenants in the building work and pay their taxes. We need to live in a secure home, feeling safe and live peacefully," Chandran said.
From BBC
Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won snowboard cross mixed team gold to secure Team GB's first ever Winter Olympic title on snow.
From BBC
That secured Forest's first European action since 1995-96, but disagreements with Marinakis over transfer policy led to his departure in September after 21 months in charge.
From Barron's
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.
