secured

1. 1
   adjective

   Fastened or fixed firmly in place so it cannot move, fall, or be taken away.

   Like a boat tied off at the dock, staying put no matter how the water moves.

   With the antenna firmly secured to the roof, the crew began testing the signal.

   A properly secured load will not shift even on sharp turns.

   Similarfixed, attached, anchored, tied

   Oppositeloose, unfastened, unsecured

   Note

   Here the participle has settled into a description of a condition, as in a secured load or a secured antenna. Unlike the verb form, it can be graded (more secured, most secured), and that is a practical way to tell it from the passive verb. 'The load was secured by the crew' reports something done. 'The most secured load on the truck' describes how a thing stands.

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past tense and past participle of secure.

   The team secured first place after a tense final match.

   The documents were secured in a locked safe overnight.

   Note

   One spelling does three jobs: the simple past (the team secured first place), the perfect (has secured) and the passive (were secured). Only the auxiliary tells them apart. The verb's whole range carries over: protected, made certain, fastened, acquired. The 'made certain' meaning takes against or from, as in a position secured against loss. When the word describes a settled state rather than an action, it passes into the adjective for 'fastened'.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2