secure

Formssecures, securing, secured

1. 1
   safe from attackadjective

   Protected from danger, attack, or theft; safe.

   The fortress remained secure throughout the long siege.

   The new locks and alarm system made the warehouse far more secure against break-ins.

   UsageUsually secure against or from a threat: secure against break-ins.

2. 2
   obtainverbtransitive

   To get possession of something; to obtain or acquire it with certainty.

   Volunteers worked hard to secure funding for the shelter.

   The company finally secured exclusive rights to the new design.

   UsageOften for something won with effort: secure funding, secure a deal, secure a place in the final.

   Similarobtain, acquire, get, gain, win

   Oppositelose, forfeit

   Note

   The verb usually marks something obtained with effort, often when getting it was uncertain or contested. Its objects range widely, from an estate or good photographs of a fortress to a footballer signed before the transfer window closes, or the attention a preacher secures in W. B. Maxwell's The Mirror and the Lamp (1918). It sits close to the "make certain" meaning, since to secure a thing is to make it certainly yours.

3. 3
   verbtransitive

   To make safe; to guard or protect from exposure to danger.

   Troops moved in to secure the area before the convoy arrived.

   New locks helped secure the warehouse from intruders.

   Similarprotect, guard, defend, safeguard, shield

   Oppositeexpose, endanger

4. 4
   fix in placeverbtransitive

   To make fast; to close or confine something so firmly that it cannot get loose or escape.

   Sailors secured the cargo below deck before the storm hit.

   Always secure the ladder against the wall before climbing it.

   Similarfasten, fix, tie, lash, anchor

   Oppositeloosen, unfasten, release, untie

5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To put beyond the hazard of losing or not receiving; to make certain or assure.

   A written partnership agreement will secure your share of the profits if the business is ever sold.

   The new amendment secured every citizen's right to a trial by jury.

   UsageThe thing made certain is the object: secure your share of the profits, secure a right; against names the risk: secure a creditor against loss.

   Similarensure, assure, guarantee

   Oppositejeopardize

   Note

   In finance, this extends to backing an obligation with property, as when you secure a debt by a mortgage. An older pattern put the gain after of. Thomas Dick wrote in The Philosophy of Religion 'It secures its possessor of eternal happiness', a construction that now reads as dated.

6. 6
   adjective

   Protected against being overheard, intercepted, or discovered, and so kept secret.

   Diplomats exchanged messages over a secure channel.

   The app promises secure messaging that no one else can read.

   Similarencrypted, private, confidential

   Oppositeinsecure, unencrypted, open

7. 7
   firmadjective

   Firm and stable; not likely to fail or give way.

   The climbers tested each foothold to be sure it was secure.

   A wide base keeps the tower secure in high winds.

   Similarfirm, stable, solid, steady, sound

   Oppositeunstable, loose, shaky, unsteady

8. 8
   feeling safeadjective

   Free from anxiety or doubt; emotionally calm and unafraid.

   She feels secure in her marriage after years of trust.

   A stable home life helps children grow up feeling secure.

   UsageMost often feel secure, or be secure in something: secure in her marriage.

   Similarsafe, confident, settled

   Oppositeinsecure, anxious, afraid

   Note

   Here the word stands closest to its Latin parent: sēcūrus, from sē- 'without' and cūra 'care', the same cūra behind cure. To be secure, at root, is to be without care. Older writers let it govern a phrase or a clause, as in Dryden's 'secure of soul' or Elizabeth Gaskell's 'secure that we could do no mischief'.

9. 9
   back a loanverbtransitive

   To back a loan or debt with property that the lender has a right to seize if the borrower fails to repay.

   Small businesses often secure bank loans with their equipment or inventory.

   The bonds were secured by the company's warehouses, which bondholders could claim if it defaulted.

   UsageWhat backs the debt follows by or with: a loan secured by the house. A secured loan has property behind it.

   Similarback

   Note

   Banking has its own way to secure a loan, and it can clash with the "obtain" meaning: a business that secures a loan may have won it or pledged property against it.

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