ensure

American  

[en-shoor, -shur] / ɛnˈʃʊər, -ˈʃɜr /

verb (used with object)

• ensures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• ensured,
  past participle,  past
• ensuring
  present participle

1. to secure or guarantee.

   This letter will ensure you a hearing.

2. to make sure or certain.

   measures to ensure the success of an undertaking.

3. to make secure or safe, as from harm.

   Synonyms:

   safeguard, guard, protect

4. insure.

---

ensure British  

/ ɛnˈʃʊə, -ˈʃɔː /

verb

1. (may take a clause as object) to make certain or sure; guarantee

   this victory will ensure his happiness

2. to make safe or secure; protect

---

Usage

What's the difference between ensure, insure, and assure? Ensure most commonly means to guarantee or make certain, as in Working hard ensures success. Insure typically means to guarantee against loss or harm or, more specifically, to cover with insurance. 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:ensure = make sureinsure = cover with insuranceassure = reassureHere’s an example of ensure, insure, 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 ensure, insure, and assure.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ensurer
  noun
• unensured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• ensuring
  present
• ensured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• ensure
  simple
• ensures
  simple
• have ensured
  perfect
• has ensured
  perfect
• am ensuring
  progressive
• are ensuring
  progressive
• is ensuring
  progressive
• have been ensuring
  perfect progressive
• has been ensuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• ensured
  simple
• had ensured
  perfect
• was ensuring
  progressive
• were ensuring
  progressive
• had been ensuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will ensure
  simple
• will have ensured
  perfect
• will be ensuring
  progressive
• will have been ensuring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of ensure

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ensuren, from Anglo-French enseurer; see en- ¹ ( def. ), sure ( def. )

Explanation

When you ensure that something will happen, you guarantee it. All that homework will ensure that you have no time for fun this afternoon! Ensure comes from the Old French en- "make" plus seur "sure," and that is exactly what it means today - "to make sure or certain, to guarantee." If you ensure success or someone's safety, you are guaranteeing it. Make sure you can really come through with something before you ensure it!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ensure ensures ensured ensuring

It’s good that there are people out there trying to ensure that our food is safe from unwanted chemicals.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

She said the plan was to ensure equal population spread per constituency based on figures from the latest census - about 150,000 people in each, within a margin of 10%, so between 135,000-165,000.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Protocols formed around who had access to what hills, and skilled mushroom hunters developed techniques around how to find—and ensure rivals couldn’t find—the best matsutake caches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

In his post, Amodei urged “building AI at a balanced rate that aims to ensure its safety while still achieving its benefits and grappling with important geopolitical dilemmas.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026

First, to ensure that black and white children could go to the same schools while maintaining a quality learning environment.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Warm, dry spring weather improves a nest’s chance of survival as it ensures a good nectar supply for the queen to develop her ovaries and good prey populations for her to feed the brood.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

The extended partnership runs through December 2035 and ensures that consumers will have consistent access to financing options.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The boy was referred to the Home Office National Referral Mechanism - which ensures support is given to victims of modern slavery - and it was concluded he had been a "victim of exploitation".

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Marital trusts are extremely useful for blended families, so each spouse ensures that their respective children are taken care of if one of them dies.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Japan’s high rainfall also ensures that its forest regenerates quickly after logging.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Afterward, she ensured Gnocchi always left the house with a collar in addition to the harness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

“We held the agency accountable, made things right for every customer involved, ensured each was notified directly and provided direct customer support along with courtesy Bilt Points,” a spokesman said.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

Sinner beat Alcaraz in April's Monte Carlo final which ensured the Italian reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings - a place which he has not looked like relinquishing since.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

He provided his soldiers access to the voting process, and ensured that the men were shielded from the pressures of political harangues or campaigning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

By repeatedly rebuffing the friendly advances of her new Wizarding neighbors, she soon ensured that her family was left well alone.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

"Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the appropriate authorities, and ensuring that accurate and verified information is communicated as it becomes available," he added.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

In late June, Gov. Maura Healey signed new legislation aimed at ensuring that all Bay State public school children receive “evidence-based literacy instruction.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The university said in a statement it can prove otherwise and “is committed to ensuring that every student is admitted based on their merit, and not on their race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Von der Leyen indicated in July she supported giving children gradual access to social media and ensuring platforms had safety features on by default.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Christopher Lee Armstrong learned the hard way that the Supreme Court has little interest in ensuring that prosecutors exercise their extraordinary discretion in a manner that is fair and nondiscriminatory.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• assure
• establish
• insure
• protect
• provide
• safeguard
• secure