insure

[ in-shoor, -shur ]

verb (used with object)

, in·sured, in·sur·ing.

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 ( defs 1, 2, 3 ).

   Synonyms: assure

verb (used without object)

, in·sured, in·sur·ing.

1. to issue or procure an insurance policy.

insure

/ 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)

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

   his house was heavily insured against fire

3. another word (esp US) for ensure ensure

Derived Forms

• inˌsuraˈbility, noun
• inˈsurable, adjective

Other Words From

• over·in·sure verb (used with object) overinsured overinsuring
• prein·sure verb (used with object) preinsured preinsuring

Word History and Origins

Origin of insure¹

1400–50; late Middle English; variant of ensure

Example Sentences

It advised customers to insure valuables kept in their safety boxes and denied any liability.

From BBC

She said: “Often insurance companies will refuse to insure spas to welcome people with cancer, which is an absolute travesty as far as I’m concerned, and contravenes the Equality Act 2010.”

From BBC

They are still awaiting information from their trust attorney on whether the home was insured and are researching relief grants they may be eligible for.

From Los Angeles Times

Liability coverage is for losses that the insured person is legally responsible for, such as medical expenses incurred when you are at fault, said Janet Ruiz, director of strategic communication for the Insurance Information Institute.

From Los Angeles Times

Thankfully for Ms Deco, Maligne Lodge was insured, and she hopes to rebuild it before next summer.

From BBC

Related Words

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

Insure Vs. Ensure Vs. Assure

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 insurance
ensure = make sure
assure = reassure

Here’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.

Quiz yourself on insure vs. ensure vs. assure!

Should insure, ensure, or assure be used in the following sentence?

We need to take action to _____ that this never happens again.