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In Shakespeare's time, describing a character as secure meant they were being what?

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secure

American  

[si-kyoor] / sɪˈkjʊər /

adjective

securer, securest

1. free from or not exposed to danger or harm; safe.

   Antonyms:

   unsafe

2. dependable; firm; not liable to fail, yield, become displaced, etc., as a support or a fastening.

   The building was secure, even in an earthquake.

   Synonyms:

   fixed, fast, stable

3. affording safety, as a place.

   He needed a secure hideout.

4. in safe custody or keeping.

   Here in the vault the necklace was secure.

5. free from care; without anxiety.

   emotionally secure.

6. firmly established, as a relationship or reputation.

   He earned a secure place among the baseball immortals.

7. sure; certain; assured.

   secure of victory;

   secure in religious belief.

   Synonyms:

   confident

8. safe from penetration or interception by unauthorized persons.

   secure radio communications between army units.

9. Archaic. overconfident.

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verb (used with object)

• secures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• secured,
  past participle,  past
• securing
  present participle

1. to get hold or possession of; procure; obtain.

   to secure materials;

   to secure a high government position.

   Synonyms:

   gain

2. to free from danger or harm; make safe.

   Sandbags secured the town during the flood.

   Synonyms:

   safeguard, guard, protect

3. to effect; make certain of; ensure.

   The novel secured his reputation.

   Synonyms:

   guarantee, assure

4. to make firm or fast, as by attaching.

   to secure a rope.

5. Finance.

   1. to assure payment of (a debt) by pledging property.

   2. to assure (a creditor) of payment by the pledge or mortgaging of property.

6. to lock or fasten against intruders.

   to secure the doors.

7. to protect from attack by taking cover, by building fortifications, etc..

   The regiment secured its position.

8. to capture (a person or animal).

   No one is safe until the murderer is secured.

9. to tie up (a person), especially by binding the person's arms or hands; pinion.

10. to guarantee the privacy or secrecy of.

    to secure diplomatic phone conversations.

verb (used without object)

• secures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• secured,
  past participle,  past
• securing
  present participle

1. to be or become safe; have or obtain security.

2. Nautical.

   1. to cover openings and make movable objects fast.

      The crew was ordered to secure for sea.

   2. to be excused from duty.

      to secure from general quarters.

secure British  

/ sɪˈkjʊə /

adjective

1. free from danger, damage, etc

2. free from fear, care, etc

3. in safe custody

4. not likely to fail, become loose, etc

5. able to be relied on; certain

   a secure investment

6. nautical stowed away or made inoperative

7. archaic careless or overconfident

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verb

1. (tr) to obtain or get possession of

   I will secure some good seats

2. to make or become free from danger, fear, etc

3. (tr) to make fast or firm; fasten

4. to make or become certain; guarantee

   this plan will secure your happiness

5. (tr) to assure (a creditor) of payment, as by giving security

6. (tr) to make (a military position) safe from attack

7. nautical to make (a vessel or its contents) safe or ready by battening down hatches, stowing gear, etc

8. (tr) nautical to stow or make inoperative

   to secure the radio

Synonym Usage

See safe. See get.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• securement
  noun
• secureness
  noun
• securer
  noun
• supersecureness
  noun
• unsecureness
  noun
• resecure
  verb
• presecure
  verb (used with object)
• oversecure
  adjective
• quasi-secure
  adjective
• securable
  adjective
• supersecure
  adjective
• unsecure
  adjective
• well-secured
  adjective
• oversecurely
  adverb
• quasi-securely
  adverb
• securely
  adverb
• supersecurely
  adverb
• unsecurely
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• securing
  present
• secured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• secure
  simple
• secures
  simple
• have secured
  perfect
• has secured
  perfect
• am securing
  progressive
• are securing
  progressive
• is securing
  progressive
• have been securing
  perfect progressive
• has been securing
  perfect progressive

Past

• secured
  simple
• had secured
  perfect
• was securing
  progressive
• were securing
  progressive
• had been securing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will secure
  simple
• will have secured
  perfect
• will be securing
  progressive
• will have been securing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of secure

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin sēcūrus “carefree,” equivalent to sē- se- + cūr(a) “care” ( see cure) + -us, adjective suffix; cf. sure

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Explanation

Secure means safe, protected. Your money is secure in a bank. Supportive friends and family make you feel secure. Secure can also be used as a verb. You secure the sails before you take out the sailboat, which means you tie them down. If you secure someone a ticket to a popular Broadway play, you've found them a hard-to-find seat. On an airplane, you're told that in the event you need an oxygen mask, you should secure yours — get it in place — before helping someone else. Almost all meanings contain the idea of safety: making sure things are right.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secure securer securest secures secured securing

“It is clear that we have a limited window to use frontier models to secure software⁠,” the company said Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

One more point from their remaining two matches will secure a place in the two-legged quarter-finals in March, with the winners of those ties advancing to the Nations League Finals in June.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

At worst, he adds, engineers might have to lengthen cryptographic keys, the numbers used in secure exchanges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

"Mrs. Trump independently initiated engagement" to secure "a ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region," her office said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

I end the call, secure in the knowledge that I’ll never speak to Pamela Bynes again.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

By the time of his silver jubilee in 1935, the position of this reimagined British monarchy was securer than it had ever been.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 2022

In general, it was not a year in which the older novelists made their reputations securer.

From Time Magazine Archive

That which is greatest in him is entirely independent of means; much of what he now accomplishes illegitimately might without doubt be attained in securer modes—what cannot should without hesitation be abandoned.

From Modern Painters Volume I (of V) by John Ruskin

It was becoming obvious that local interests must receive some securer protection than could be afforded by what was after all an evasion of constitutional practice.

From British Supremacy & Canadian Self-Government, 1839-1854 by J. L. (John Lyle) Morison

He found the barges unsafely bestowed, and suggested to the captain of the Hallam yard tug boat that he should tow them into a securer anchorage.

From A Captain in the Ranks A Romance of Affairs by George Cary Eggleston

The securest hold was Adam Sandler's: his Grown Ups fell a negligible 14%.

From Time ● Jul. 11, 2010

The odds are that Poetry London-New York will not prove the securest of jobs for Tambi.

From Time Magazine Archive

Vickers, the securest of Otellos onstage, does not always seem comfort able on vinyl.

From Time Magazine Archive

Asserted one of Thatcher's aides: "It's going to stimulate the economy, and expansion is the securest form of revenue."

From Time Magazine Archive

The securest fortress in the whole world had been already stormed.

From The City in the Clouds by C. Ranger Gull

It says it thinks Nokia may either raise the guidance if the company secures more supply, or leave 2026 guidance unchanged but provide encouraging color on 2027 to address market concerns on capacity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

However the agreement secures an extension for the league to discuss terms with its players, with talks now open until 25 October.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

A chip nobody else would want secures nothing, because a lender who seizes it has nothing to sell.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Replimune secures FDA approval for Tudriqev on its third attempt, making it the company’s first product on the market.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

He holds the gate open until I pass through, and then secures it behind me.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Servicing the original debt would require further loans into the 1810s, but American exports financed payments that secured the country’s credit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

He also secured backing from the powerful California Teachers Assn. after pledging to pause new charter schools and strengthen oversight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Budget bills in Canada are confidence votes and last year Carney's government needed opposition support and abstentions to survive, but his Liberals have since secured a parliamentary majority.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

However, a sharp fall in energy prices should a peace deal be secured would change the outlook, with inflation likely to fall back to target more quickly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Danny secured the book in his backpack and stood in front of his friends.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

He suspects GE Aerospace's recent move is about securing reliability and predictability in the notoriously volatile aircraft manufacturing supply chain.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

In their second attempt at securing a conviction, prosecutors are putting less emphasis on Rinderknecht’s alleged resentment of the wealthy, instead highlighting laboratory tests they allege prove that a lighter could ignite the hillside vegetation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Vice President JD Vance separately said that both he and the president were optimistic about securing an agreement.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

But the decision comes after several countries backed the position of Morocco, which in recent years has made securing international support for its claim a central part of its foreign policy.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

It took another few moments for Duck to finish securing Illyrio’s chests to the three pack horses.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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