security

American  

[si-kyoor-i-tee] / sɪˈkjʊər ɪ ti /

noun

• securities
  plural

1. freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.

2. freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence.

   Synonyms:

   positiveness, certainty, assurance

3. something that secures or makes safe; protection; defense.

   Synonyms:

   safety, safeguard

4. freedom from financial cares or from want.

   The insurance policy gave the family security.

5. 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.

6. a department or organization responsible for protection or safety.

   He called security when he spotted the intruder.

7. protection or precautions taken against escape; custody.

   The dangerous criminal was placed under maximum security.

8. an assurance; guarantee.

9. Law.

   1. something given or deposited as surety for the fulfillment of a promise or an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.

   2. one who becomes surety for another.

10. an evidence of debt or of property, as a bond or a certificate of stock.

11. Usually securities. stocks and bonds.

12. Archaic. overconfidence; cockiness.

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or serving as security.

   The company has instituted stricter security measures.

security British  

/ sɪˈkjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being secure

2. assured freedom from poverty or want

   he needs the security of a permanent job

3. a person or thing that secures, guarantees, etc

4. precautions taken to ensure against theft, espionage, etc

   the security in the government offices was not very good

5. (often plural)

   1. a certificate of creditorship or property carrying the right to receive interest or dividend, such as shares or bonds

   2. the financial asset represented by such a certificate

6. the specific asset that a creditor can claim title to in the event of default on an obligation

7. something given or pledged to secure the fulfilment of a promise or obligation

8. a person who undertakes to fulfil another person's obligation

9. the protection of data to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to computer files

10. archaic carelessness or overconfidence

---

security Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing security

• lull into (false sense of security)

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsecurity
  noun
• oversecurity
  noun
• self-security
  noun
• subsecurity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• securities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of security

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English securytye, securite(e), from Latin sēcūritās; see origin at secure, -ity

Explanation

Security means safety, as well as the measures taken to be safe or protected. In order to provide adequate security for the parade, town officials often hire extra guards. A small child will sometimes latch on to a blanket or stuffed animal that gives him or her the feeling of security. Often this word is used in compounds such as a security measure, security check or security guard. The security department in a business is sometimes just called security. If there's a troublesome customer at your work, call security to take him away. In the financial world, a stock or bond is also called a security.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

security securities

"Because it's a place for people, for picnics, for livestock to graze," he told AFP, giving only his first name for security reasons.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

The development group publicly disavowed the actions, attributing them to an unnamed security contractor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Hirofumi Yoshimura, head of the Japan Innovation Party, a coalition partner of Takaichi's government, said the principle deserved discussion in the context of the US-Japan security alliance.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

The largest single cost relates to a mural painted on the Royal Courts of Justice in September 2025, where removal efforts and security have so far cost more than £85,000.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

I caught sight of Salzburg again, and I felt a pang of regret that he was the one who had come to the mountain for security talks and not my mom.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

And in March, the Securities and Exchange Commission questioned Egan-Jones’s capacity to “consistently produce credit ratings with integrity” on asset-backed securities, a type of debt instrument it was seeking permission to rate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The lawsuit filed in 2024 by the firm’s two former executives alleged they were fired after telling securities regulators they were concerned about conflicts of interest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Its use as a major currency for global payments and securities issuance remains very strong.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

Still, investigations by prosecutors and securities regulators can result in no action.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

On the one hand, Hamilton’s recommendation looked straightforward: All citizens who owned government securities should be reimbursed at par—that is, the full value of the government’s original promise.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• bond
• care
• freedom
• guarantee
• insurance
• preservation
• surveillance