security
freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.
freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence.
something that secures or makes safe; protection; defense.
freedom from financial cares or from want: The insurance policy gave the family security.
precautions taken to guard against crime, attack, sabotage, espionage, etc.: claims that security was lax at the embassy;the importance of computer security to prevent hackers from gaining access.
a department or organization responsible for protection or safety: He called security when he spotted the intruder.
protection or precautions taken against escape; custody: The dangerous criminal was placed under maximum security.
an assurance; guarantee.
Law.
something given or deposited as surety for the fulfillment of a promise or an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.
one who becomes surety for another.
an evidence of debt or of property, as a bond or a certificate of stock.
Usually securities. stocks and bonds.
Archaic. overconfidence; cockiness.
of, relating to, or serving as security: The company has instituted stricter security measures.
Origin of security
1Other words for security
Other words from security
- non·se·cu·ri·ty, noun, plural non·se·cu·ri·ties.
- o·ver·se·cu·ri·ty, noun
- self-se·cu·ri·ty, noun
- sub·se·cu·ri·ty, noun, plural sub·se·cu·ri·ties.
Words Nearby security
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use security in a sentence
India banned TikTok over security concerns despite the 200 million users in the country.
What you must know about TikTok for business | Connie Benton | September 17, 2020 | Search Engine WatchWashington wants assurance that TikTok’s data collection practices aren’t a threat to national security.
‘A 2nd or 3rd tier player’: How the size of Oracle’s China business helped it win TikTok | eamonbarrett | September 14, 2020 | FortuneIt makes registration significantly easier, but state registration websites can be compromised in cases where web security protocols are not up to date.
Voting by mail is more secure than the President says. How to make it even safer | matthewheimer | September 13, 2020 | FortuneLast month I wrote about how building an outdoor fort can give kids a sense of security and purpose in these uncertain times.
A 15-Week Exercise Plan for Kids and Families | Krista Langlois | September 12, 2020 | Outside OnlineTikTok has fixed four security bugs in its Android app that could have led to the hijacking of user accounts.
TikTok fixes Android bugs that could have led to account hijacks | Zack Whittaker | September 11, 2020 | TechCrunch
This is a blow against freedom of speech, we were told, by the likes of Homeland security chief Jeh Johnson.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTA Charlie Hebdo reporter said that security provision had been relaxed in the last month or so and the police car disappeared.
It opens with Huckabee's dramatic recollection of going through security at the airport.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! | Olivia Nuzzi | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTsecurity officials told Agence France-Presse that the gas station manager said he had recognized the two men.
“There is a heavy security presence but nothing has changed,” agrees Father Javier.
This treacherous sort of calm, we thought, might forbode a storm, and we did not allow it to lull us into security.
He said nothing, however, to the friends he had in view to put up the money and that necessary security.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxThe promoters went his security and put up the cash into the bargain, and he went back to the publishing house victorious.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxHer knowledge of native headgear was not extensive, so this measure of extra security did not surprise her.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThis state of security proved a fortunate circumstance, as many of the poor women were at the same time in a state of pregnancy.
An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae | Edward Jenner
British Dictionary definitions for security
/ (sɪˈkjʊərɪtɪ) /
the state of being secure
assured freedom from poverty or want: he needs the security of a permanent job
a person or thing that secures, guarantees, etc
precautions taken to ensure against theft, espionage, etc: the security in the government offices was not very good
(often plural)
a certificate of creditorship or property carrying the right to receive interest or dividend, such as shares or bonds
the financial asset represented by such a certificate
the specific asset that a creditor can claim title to in the event of default on an obligation
something given or pledged to secure the fulfilment of a promise or obligation
a person who undertakes to fulfil another person's obligation
the protection of data to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to computer files
archaic carelessness or overconfidence
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with security
In addition to the idiom beginning with security
- security blanket
also see:
- lull into (false sense of security)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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