DictionaryAI

insure

verb
in-SHUUR/ɪnˈʃʊɚ/UKin-SHAW/ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)/

Formsinsures, insuring, insured

Often confused with ensure

3 meanings of insure

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive
    To set up a plan that pays money if something bad happens, like a crash or a theft.

    We insure our car against theft and accidents.

    The singer insured her voice for a very large sum.

    Similarcover, underwrite

    Note
  2. 2
    verbtransitive
    Alternative spelling of ensure. It means to make sure something happens and appears mostly in older American writing.

    Check the doors twice to insure that nobody can get in.

    The latest in automation equipment, combined with highly skilled craftsmen, insure the high quality of the Packard Clipper.
    1954, Packard Motor Car Company, Packard Clipper Owner's ManualHere, insure means ensure, to make certain.
    Note
  3. 3
    verbintransitive
    To sell insurance as a business, or to buy it for yourself.

    Smart drivers insure with a company that pays claims quickly.

    Her family's company insures only in small towns.

Practice

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Origin

First used around 1440 as another form of ensure, from an old French word built on "sure". Its money-and-protection meaning came in 1635.