insure

American  

[in-shoor, -shur] / ɪnˈʃʊər, -ˈʃɜr /

verb (used with object)

• insures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• insured,
  past participle,  past
• insuring
  present participle

1. to guarantee against loss or harm.

   Synonyms:

   warrant

2. to secure indemnity to or on, in case of loss, damage, or death.

3. to issue or procure an insurance policy on or for.

4. ensure.

   Synonyms:

   assure

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verb (used without object)

• insures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• insured,
  past participle,  past
• insuring
  present participle

1. to issue or procure an insurance policy.

insure British  

/ ɪnˈʃʊə, -ˈʃɔː /

verb

1. (often foll by against) to guarantee or protect (against risk, loss, etc)

   we insured against disappointment by making an early reservation

2. (often foll by against) to issue (a person) with an insurance policy or take out an insurance policy (on)

   his house was heavily insured against fire

   after all his car accidents the company refuses to insure him again

3. another word (esp US) for ensure ensure

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Usage

What's the difference between insure, ensure, and assure? Insure typically means to guarantee against loss or harm or, more specifically, to cover with insurance. Ensure most commonly means to guarantee or make certain, as in Working hard ensures success. Assure usually means to tell someone something with confidence or to cause someone to know something with certainty—it often means the same thing as reassure. It’s no wonder there’s confusion between the three words—all three are verbs that are based on the Latin root sēcūrus, meaning safe. Making things even more confusing is the fact that ensure and insure can be used interchangeably in most senses. Still, insure is much more commonly used in the context of insurance, like car insurance, health insurance, and homeowner’s insurance. These kinds of insurance insure you—they give you coverage that provides you with compensation in certain cases and situations. Ensure is typically used in a more general way in the context of actions that are done to make sure that something happens or is the case, as in We need to ensure that the meeting starts on time. Assure is always used in the context of communication, especially in situations in which someone is trying to make someone else feel better about something. It’s used in the phrase rest assured. Here’s a quick cheat sheet to remember the most common uses of each word:insure = cover with insuranceensure = make sureassure = reassureHere’s an example of insure, ensure, and assure used correctly in a sentence. Example: She assured me that the company has ensured that every employee has the opportunity to be insured. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between insure, ensure, and assure.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• insurability
  noun
• overinsure
  verb (used with object)
• preinsure
  verb (used with object)
• insurable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• insuring
  present
• insured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• insure
  simple
• insures
  simple
• have insured
  perfect
• has insured
  perfect
• am insuring
  progressive
• are insuring
  progressive
• is insuring
  progressive
• have been insuring
  perfect progressive
• has been insuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• insured
  simple
• had insured
  perfect
• was insuring
  progressive
• were insuring
  progressive
• had been insuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will insure
  simple
• will have insured
  perfect
• will be insuring
  progressive
• will have been insuring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of insure

1400–50; late Middle English; variant of ensure

Explanation

To insure is to guarantee or protect the monetary value of something with, as you might imagine, insurance. We insure, or protect, our homes and cars and other valuables against loss or damage from accidents by taking out insurance policies. To insure is to pay an insurance company regularly so that if something goes wrong, they’ll help cover the costs. Although it’s certainly reassuring to have insurance, the word insure always has a financial aspect.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

insure insures insured insuring

Major carriers from large swaths of the state are now refusing to insure even low-risk properties with minimal danger of burning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara furthered the plan’s growth when he required it to raise the policy limit on homes to $3 million and to insure condominium developments valued at $100 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Elderly artists have to pay extra to insure their concerts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Oracle’s five-year credit-default-swap spread — a measure of the cost to insure the company’s debt against default— surged to a high of 219 basis points in late July.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Just before leaving Chicago Holmes acquired a life insurance policy, from the Fidelity Mutual Life Association of Philadelphia, to insure Pitezel’s life for $10,000.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-backed bank insures deposits of up to $250,000 per individual.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026

The U.S. government insures deposits of up to $250,000 but also imposes regulations on banks’ business activities and financial strength.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

So does the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, which insures anyone with a U.S. bank account.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2025

The caucus also reaffirmed a promise to maintain funding for Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare program that insures 15 million low-income Californians and has run billions above estimates since last summer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025

Un′derwriter, one who insures, as shipping, so called because he underwrites his name for a certain amount to the conditions of the policy; Un′derwriting.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Fully insured, state-regulated plans require insurers to give you written notice before terminating coverage — usually 30 or 60 days.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026

County residents are insured by Medi-Cal, according to a recent report by the California Health Care Foundation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

The approval by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency opens the door to Revolut eventually offering loans, credit cards and insured deposits to US customers directly.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Patients on Medicaid were more likely to experienced prolonged wait times than the privately insured for five cancers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

He’d either be paid zero, if the triple-B-rated bonds he’d insured proved good, or a billion dollars, if those triple-B-rated bonds went bad.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

It is entirely the choice of an individual as to whether it is worth insuring belongings while off at university or college.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Global premiums for insuring data centers will likely reach $20 billion to $30 billion a year by 2030, reinsurer Swiss Re forecast in a report this month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Buffett has lavished praise on the executive for his preternatural ability to craft offbeat policies, including insuring Chicago’s tallest building against terrorist attacks and Pepsi against having to award a $1 billion raffle prize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

The actual financial benefits depend on whether you are insuring your car, your home or your life — and whether the potential long-term gains outweigh the higher upfront costs.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026

Either piece of news—rising ratings standards or falling house prices—should have disrupted the subprime bond market and caused the price of insuring the bonds to rise.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• assure
• cover
• guarantee
• hedge
• safeguard
• shield
• underwrite