insure

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insure

warrant; protect against loss; to issue an insurance policy: Will this insure me in the event of a natural disaster?

Not to be confused with:

ensure – to secure or guarantee; safeguard; make sure or certain: take measures to ensure success

in·sure

(ĭn-sho͝or′)

v. in·sured, in·sur·ing, in·sures

v.tr.

a. To provide or arrange insurance for: a company that insures homeowners and businesses.

b. To acquire or have insurance for: insured herself against losses; insured his car for theft.

2. To make sure, certain, or secure. See Usage Note at assure.

v.intr.

To buy or sell insurance.

[Middle English ensuren, to assure, from Old French enseurer, possibly variant of assurer; see assure.]

in·sur′a·bil′i·ty n.

in·sur′a·ble adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

insure

(ɪnˈʃʊə; -ˈʃɔː)

1. (often foll by against) to guarantee or protect (against risk, loss, etc): we insured against disappointment by making an early reservation.

2. (Insurance) (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 ensure¹, ensure²

Also (rare) (for senses 1, 2): ensure

inˈsurable adj

inˌsuraˈbility n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•sure

(ɪnˈʃʊər, -ˈʃɜr)

v. -sured, -sur•ing. v.t.

1. to guarantee against loss or harm.

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 (defs. 1–3).

v.i.

5. to issue or procure an insurance policy.

[1400–50; late Middle English; variant of ensure]

in•sur`a•bil′i•ty, n.

assure

– ensure – insure

1. 'assure'

If you assure someone that something is true or will happen, you tell them that it is definitely true or will definitely happen, often in order to make them less worried.

"I can assure you that neither of our two goalkeepers will be leaving," O'Leary said.

The government assured the public that there would be no increase in taxes.

2. 'ensure' and 'insure'

In British English, to ensure that something happens means to make certain that it happens.

His reputation was enough to ensure that he was always welcome.

In American English, this word is usually spelled insure.

I shall try to insure that your stay is a pleasant one.

3. 'insure'

Insure has another meaning. In both British and American English, if you insure your property, you pay money to a company so that if the property is lost, stolen, or damaged, the company will pay you a sum of money. In this meaning, the spelling is always insure, not 'ensure'.

Insure your baggage before you leave home.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

insure

Past participle: insured
Gerund: insuring

Imperative
insure
insure

Present
I insure
you insure
he/she/it insures
we insure
you insure
they insure

Preterite
I insured
you insured
he/she/it insured
we insured
you insured
they insured

Present Continuous
I am insuring
you are insuring
he/she/it is insuring
we are insuring
you are insuring
they are insuring

Present Perfect
I have insured
you have insured
he/she/it has insured
we have insured
you have insured
they have insured

Past Continuous
I was insuring
you were insuring
he/she/it was insuring
we were insuring
you were insuring
they were insuring

Past Perfect
I had insured
you had insured
he/she/it had insured
we had insured
you had insured
they had insured

Future
I will insure
you will insure
he/she/it will insure
we will insure
you will insure
they will insure

Future Perfect
I will have insured
you will have insured
he/she/it will have insured
we will have insured
you will have insured
they will have insured

Future Continuous
I will be insuring
you will be insuring
he/she/it will be insuring
we will be insuring
you will be insuring
they will be insuring

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been insuring
you have been insuring
he/she/it has been insuring
we have been insuring
you have been insuring
they have been insuring

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been insuring
you will have been insuring
he/she/it will have been insuring
we will have been insuring
you will have been insuring
they will have been insuring

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been insuring
you had been insuring
he/she/it had been insuring
we had been insuring
you had been insuring
they had been insuring

Conditional
I would insure
you would insure
he/she/it would insure
we would insure
you would insure
they would insure

Past Conditional
I would have insured
you would have insured
he/she/it would have insured
we would have insured
you would have insured
they would have insured

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	insure - be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something; "He verified that the valves were closed"; "See that the curtains are closed"; "control the quality of the product" see to it, ensure, ascertain, check, assure, control, see proofread, proof - read for errors; "I should proofread my manuscripts" check off, tick off, mark off, tick, check, mark - put a check mark on or near or next to; "Please check each name on the list"; "tick off the items"; "mark off the units" control - verify by using a duplicate register for comparison; "control an account" check - verify by consulting a source or authority; "check the spelling of this word"; "check your facts" double-check - check once more to be absolutely sure cross-check - check out conflicting sources; crosscheck facts, for example cinch - make sure of card - ask someone for identification to determine whether he or she is old enough to consume liquor; "I was carded when I tried to buy a beer!" spot-check - pick out random samples for examination in order to ensure high quality verify - confirm the truth of; "Please verify that the doors are closed"; "verify a claim" ascertain, find out, learn, watch, determine, see, check - find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see whether she speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time" cover - maintain a check on; especially by patrolling; "The second officer covered the top floor" verify, control - check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard; "Are you controlling for the temperature?"
	2.	insure - make certain of; "This nest egg will ensure a nice retirement for us"; "Preparation will guarantee success!" assure, ensure, guarantee, secure guarantee, vouch - give surety or assume responsibility; "I vouch for the quality of my products" doom - make certain of the failure or destruction of; "This decision will doom me to lose my position" make - assure the success of; "A good review by this critic will make your play!"
	3.	insure - protect by insurance; "The insurance won't cover this" underwrite, cover reinsure - insure again by assuming all or a part of the liability of an insurance company already covering a risk warrant, guarantee - stand behind and guarantee the quality, accuracy, or condition of; "The dealer warrants all the cars he sells"; "I warrant this information" indemnify - secure against future loss, damage, or liability; give security for; "This plan indemnifies workers against wages lost through illness" cover - to take an action to protect against future problems; "Count the cash in the drawer twice just to cover yourself" overcompensate, compensate, cover - make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities; "he is compensating for being a bad father"
	4.	insure - take out insurance for reinsure - insure again by transferring to another insurance company all or a part of a liability assumed protect - shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage; "Weatherbeater protects your roof from the rain" reinsure - provide additional insurance for coinsure - take out coinsurance

insure

verb

1. assure, cover, protect, guarantee, warrant, underwrite, indemnify We automatically insure your furniture and belongings against fire.

2. protect, cover, safeguard He needs to insure himself against ambitious party rivals.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

insure

verb

To render certain:

assure, ensure, guarantee, secure, warrant.

Informal: cinch.

Translations

يُؤَمِّنُيَضْمَن، يَكْفَل، يُأمِّن

pojistit

forsikre

vakuuttaa

osigurati

tryggja

assicurare assicuratore assicurazione assicurazione sulla vita garantire

保険をかける

보증하다

apdraustidraudimo sutartis

apdrošināt

poistiť

zagotovitizavarovati

försäkra

ประกัน

sigorta etmeksigortalamak

bảo hiểm

投保给...保险

insure

[ɪnˈʃʊəʳ] VT [+ house, property] → asegurar
to insure sb or sb's life → hacer un seguro de vida a algn
to insure o.s. or one's life → hacerse un seguro de vida
to insure sth against fire/theft → asegurar algo contra incendios/robo
to insure one's life for £500,000 → hacerse un seguro de vida por valor de 500.000 libras
to be insured to do sth → tener un seguro que permite hacer algo
I'm insured to drive any car → tengo un seguro que me permite conducir cualquier coche
I'm insured to drive my husband's car → estoy en el seguro del coche de mi marido

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

insure

[ɪnˈʃʊə^r ɪnˈʃɔː^r] vt [+ person] → assurer; [+ possessions, car, house] → assurer
to insure sb's life → assurer qn sur la vie
to insure one's life → s'assurer sur la vie
to be insured for £50000 [person, possessions] → être assuré(e) pour 50000 livres, être assuré(e) pour une somme de 50000 livres
to be insured against sth [person, possessions] [+ fire, theft] → être assuré(e) contre qch

insure

car, house → versichern (lassen) (against gegen); he insured his house contents for £10,000 → er schloss eine Hausratsversicherung über £ 10.000 ab; to insure one’s life → eine Lebensversicherung abschließen; to insure oneself against poverty/failure etc (fig) → sich gegen Armut/einen Fehlschlag etc (ab)sichern

= ensure

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

insure

[ɪnˈʃʊəʳ] vt (house, car, parcel) to insure (against) → assicurare (contro)
to insure o.s. or one's life → assicurarsi (sulla vita)
to insure sb or sb's life → assicurare qn sulla vita
to be insured for £50,000 → essere assicurato/a per 50.000 sterline

insure

(inˈʃuə) verb

to arrange for the payment of a sum of money in the event of the loss of (something) or accident or injury to (someone). Is your car insured?; Employers have to insure employees against accident.

inˈsurance noun

the promise of a sum of money in event of loss eg by fire or other disaster, given in compensation by a company etc in return for regular payments. Have you paid the insurance on your jewellery?; (also adjective) insurance companies.

insurance policy

(a document setting out) an agreement with an insurance company.

insure

→ يُؤَمِّنُ pojistit forsikre versichern ασφαλίζω asegurar vakuuttaa assurer osigurati assicurare 保険をかける 보증하다 verzekeren forsikre ubezpieczyć assegurar страховать försäkra ประกัน sigortalamak bảo hiểm 投保

insure

v. asegurar; asegurarse.

Can I insure my luggage? → Kan jeg forsikre min bagage? → Kann ich mein Gepäck versichern? → ¿Puedo asegurar el equipaje? → Voinko vakuuttaa matkatavarani? → Mogu li osigurati svoju prtljagu? → Posso assicurare i miei bagagli? → Kan ik mijn bagage verzekeren? → Kan jeg forsikre bagasjen? → Kan jag försäkra mitt bagage?

References in classic literature ?

If he can pay a dividend to his creditors, they will give him his freedom; and he believes he can raise the money if I consent to insure my life."

View in context

To insure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the harpooneers of this world must start to their feet from out of idleness, and not from out of toil.

View in context

But nothing can insure the hearts on shore against the bitterness of waiting for the worst.

View in context

The Beaver's best course was, no doubt, to procure A second-hand dagger-proof coat-- So the Baker advised it-- and next, to insure Its life in some Office of note:

View in context

Queequeg believed strongly in anointing his boat, and one morning not long after the German ship Jungfrau disappeared, took more than customary pains in that occupation; crawling under its bottom, where it hung over the side, and rubbing in the unctuousness as though diligently seeking to insure a crop of hair from the craft's bald keel.

View in context

I gave him a sufficient dose of veronal to insure his unconsciousness for several hours.

View in context

Then the service began--rightly-considered, the most terrible, surely, of all mortal ceremonies--the service which binds two human beings, who know next to nothing of each other's natures, to risk the tremendous experiment of living together till death parts them--the service which says, in effect if not in words, Take your leap in the dark: we sanctify, but we don't insure, it!

View in context

A dollar or two should be added to the price usually paid for Janie's shoes, which would insure their lasting an appreciable time longer than they usually did.

View in context

To insure steady motion, one tourist and one native walked together.

View in context

The relative situation of these States; the number of rivers with which they are intersected, and of bays that wash there shores; the facility of communication in every direction; the affinity of language and manners; the familiar habits of intercourse; -- all these are circumstances that would conspire to render an illicit trade between them a matter of little difficulty, and would insure frequent evasions of the commercial regulations of each other.

View in context

These officers said they would take it upon themselves to insure us a cordial reception.

View in context

However, while insurers are happy to sell policies of a higher premium, they're even more inclined to insure cars with lower values in order to avoid moral hazard."