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.
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affording safety, as a place.
He needed a secure hideout.
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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
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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.
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to make firm or fast, as by attaching.
to secure a rope.
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Finance.
-
to assure payment of (a debt) by pledging property.
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to assure (a creditor) of payment by the pledge or mortgaging of property.
-
-
to lock or fasten against intruders.
to secure the doors.
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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.
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to tie up (a person), especially by binding the person's arms or hands; pinion.
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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
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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
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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securementnoun
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securenessnoun
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securernoun
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supersecurenessnoun
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unsecurenessnoun
-
resecureverb
-
presecureverb (used with object)
-
oversecureadjective
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quasi-secureadjective
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securableadjective
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supersecureadjective
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unsecureadjective
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well-securedadjective
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oversecurelyadverb
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quasi-securelyadverb
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securelyadverb
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supersecurelyadverb
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unsecurelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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securesimple
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securessimple
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have securedperfect
-
has securedperfect
-
am securingprogressive
-
are securingprogressive
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is securingprogressive
-
have been securingperfect progressive
-
has been securingperfect progressive
Past
-
securedsimple
-
had securedperfect
-
was securingprogressive
-
were securingprogressive
-
had been securingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing secure
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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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:
It added: "We genuinely want to work constructively with Neath Port Talbot council, NRW, and our political representatives to deliver a safe, biodiverse, and secure site."
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
“It is important these are properly assessed so that we can secure the best outcome for Hackney’s economy and our residents.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
In October 2025, a federal judge sentenced the music mogul to four years and two months behind bars while denying renewed efforts by his legal team to secure his release pending appeal.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Fans in New York unable to secure -- or afford -- a ticket to the final flocked to quirky watch parties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Gathering it in my hands, I twist it around on itself and secure it into a messy bun on top of my head, and focus on the swans, the reason I’m here.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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
This pile would form a securer shelter than the plant, which was in full view of any one who might enter the courtyard from the street.
From Carry On! A Story of the Fight for Bagdad by Strang, Herbert
The Spaniards, moving on to a securer place, camped to await Pizarro.
From The Spanish Pioneers by Lummis, Charles F.
In other words, life strives continuously to make its embodiments more permanent, securer, richer and more manifold.
From Morals and the Evolution of Man by Nordau, Max Simon
The securest hold was Adam Sandler's: his Grown Ups fell a negligible 14%.
From Time ● Jul. 11, 2010
Vickers, the securest of Otellos onstage, does not always seem comfort able on vinyl.
From Time Magazine Archive
The odds are that Poetry London-New York will not prove the securest of jobs for Tambi.
From Time Magazine Archive
Even threaten the securest position, when long continued.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is very gloomy in its interior, and is one of the strongest and securest prisons in the world.
From The Secrets of the Great City by McCabe, James Dabney
The AI infrastructure provider is easing anxiety over high data-center build-out costs as it secures new customers and prepayments for chips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Kim secures a place in next year's Masters at Augusta National.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Unless a mayoral candidate secures a majority of the vote, the top two face off in a second round.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
NV Energy insists it will continue providing service while Liberty secures its own supply.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
Eventually, though, she secures her newborn in the den and heads back to the bamboo thicket to feast—crucial for her own survival as well as her cub’s.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
Little more than a month after he secured his return to Parliament as MP for Makerfield, Burnham found himself having an audience with King Charles III in Buckingham Palace for almost 35 minutes on Monday.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
There is broad agreement among analysts and sports executives that Fox and Telemundo secured the rights to this year’s tournament at below-market prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
As a sign of investor confidence, Ivory Coast last week secured in July $80 billion in international public financing -- four times more than expected -- for its 2026–2030 National Development Plan.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Saturday's thrilling, and at times ridiculous, 6-4 win against France in the 'bronze final' means England's men secured their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament 60 years ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The rudder this time would be firmly secured through a hole in the stern.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
U.S. authorities are scrutinizing “data handling and securing data with connected cars,” Volvo Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson said on an investor call Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The Pentagon is seeking $30 billion in funding for a new initiative called the Artificial Intelligence Arsenal, which focuses on securing high-end AI chips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Burnham is expected to be crowned Labour's leader on Friday after securing overwhelming support from the party's 403 MPs and the backing of major trade unions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Tech scion David Ellison’s proposed merger has been hurtling toward the finish line after securing approvals from the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
He should have gotten everyone safely on board the Argo II before he started securing the statue.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
