secure

[si-kyoor]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR secure ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, se·cur·er, se·cur·est.

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

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.

free from care; without anxiety: emotionally secure.

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.

safe from penetration or interception by unauthorized persons: secure radio communications between army units.

Archaic. overconfident.

verb (used with object), se·cured, se·cur·ing.

to get hold or possession of; procure; obtain: to secure materials; to secure a high government position.

to free from danger or harm; make safe: Sandbags secured the town during the flood.

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), se·cured, se·cur·ing.

to be or become safe; have or obtain security.

Nautical.

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.

Origin of secure

1525–35; < Latin sēcūrus carefree, equivalent to sē- se- + cūr(a) care (see cure) + -us adj. suffix; cf. sure

Related formsse·cur·a·ble, adjectivese·cure·ly, adverbse·cure·ness, nounse·cur·er, nouno·ver·se·cure, adjective, verb (used with object), o·ver·se·cured, o·ver·se·cur·ing.o·ver·se·cure·ly, adverbpre·se·cure, verb (used with object), pre·se·cured, pre·se·cur·ing.qua·si-se·cure, adjectivequa·si-se·cure·ly, adverbre·se·cure, verb, re·se·cured, re·se·cur·ing.su·per·se·cure, adjectivesu·per·se·cure·ly, adverbsu·per·se·cure·ness, nounun·se·cure, adjectiveun·se·cure·ly, adverbun·se·cure·ness, nounwell-se·cured, adjective

Synonyms for secure

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR secure ON THESAURUS.COM

1. protected. See safe. 2. stable, fast, fixed. 7. confident. 10. gain. See get. 11. protect, guard, safeguard. 12. assure, guarantee.

Antonyms for secure

1. unsafe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for secured

insure, capture, buy, get, win, assure, ensure, gain, have, take, achieve, guarantee, fix, clinch, settle, cement, defend, safeguard, grasp, land

Examples from the Web for secured

Contemporary Examples of secured

The Senate Intelligence Committee report says they secured a contract with the CIA in 2006 valued “in excess of $180 million.”
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built
Michael Daly
December 12, 2014
Jonathan Moore, who secured the $1.7 million settlement in the Stewart case, is representing them.
Before Eric Garner, There Was Michael Stewart: The Tragic Story of the Real-Life Radio Raheem
Marlow Stern
December 4, 2014
Along with amnesty, our borders were to be secured once and for all.
The Liberal Case Against Illegal Immigration
Doug McIntyre
November 25, 2014
Her mother was illiterate, but she secured a tutor for both her sons and her daughters, and Juana could read by the age of 3.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun
Katie Baker
November 8, 2014
Patterson secured the permission of the landowner to venture onto the property.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles
Michael Daly
November 2, 2014

Historical Examples of secured

But can the safety of the state be secured by merely excluding the vicious poor?
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Such men were secured in the first place by handsome bribes.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Not until he had secured such information did the leader move.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
In the grass there can still be seen the stone to which the bull-ring was secured.
Yorkshire Painted And Described
Gordon Home
No; we have secured the best teachers that we could for them, but each one has been a failure.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden

British Dictionary definitions for secured

secure

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; certaina secure investment

nautical stowed away or made inoperative

archaic careless or overconfident

verb

(tr) to obtain or get possession ofI will secure some good seats

(when intr, often foll by against) to make or become free from danger, fear, etc

(tr) to make fast or firm; fasten

(when intr, often foll by against) to make or become certain; guaranteethis plan will secure your happiness

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

(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 inoperativeto secure the radio

Derived Formssecurable, adjectivesecurely, adverbsecurement, nounsecureness, nounsecurer, noun

Word Origin for secure

C16: from Latin sēcūrus free from care, from sē- without + cūra care

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

Word Origin and History for secured

secure

adj.

1530s, "without care, dreading no evil," from Latin securus, of persons, "free from care, quiet, easy," also in a bad sense, "careless, reckless;" of things, "tranquil; free from danger, safe," from *se cura, from se "free from" (see secret (n.)) + cura "care" (see cure (n.)).

In English, of places, "free from danger, unexposed," from 1580s. Meaning "firmly fixed" (of material things) is from 1841, on notion of "affording grounds for confidence." Of telephones, "not wiretapped," from 1961. Replaced Middle English siker, from Old English sicor, from the Latin word. Related: Securely.

secure

c.1600, "to make safe," from secure (adj.). Meaning "ensure, make certain" is from 1650s; that of "seize and hold" is from 1640s; sense of "get possession" is from 1743. Related: Secured; securing.