INSURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does insure mean? 

• INSURE (verb)
  The verb INSURE has 4 senses:

1. be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something

2. make certain of

3. protect by insurance

4. take out insurance for

  Familiarity information: INSURE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INSURE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they insure    ... he / she / it insures   
Past simple: insured   
Past participle: insured   
-ing form: insuring   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

ascertain; assure; check; control; ensure; insure; see; see to it

Context example:

control the quality of the product

Hypernyms (to "insure" is one way to...):

verify (confirm the truth of)

Verb group:

check; check off; mark; mark off; tick; tick off (put a check mark on or near or next to)

control; verify (check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard)

ascertain; check; determine; find out; learn; see; watch (find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort)

check (verify by consulting a source or authority)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "insure"):

proof; proofread (read for errors)

control (verify by using a duplicate register for comparison)

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)

spot-check (pick out random samples for examination in order to ensure high quality)

cover (maintain a check on; especially by patrolling)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make certain of

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

assure; ensure; guarantee; insure; secure

Context example:

Preparation will guarantee success!

Verb group:

guarantee; vouch (give surety or assume responsibility)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "insure"):

doom (make certain of the failure or destruction of)

make (assure the success of)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Protect by insurance

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cover; insure; underwrite

Context example:

The insurance won't cover this

Hypernyms (to "insure" is one way to...):

guarantee; warrant (stand behind and guarantee the quality, accuracy, or condition of)

Verb group:

cover (to take an action to protect against future problems)

compensate; cover; overcompensate (make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "insure"):

reinsure (insure again by assuming all or a part of the liability of an insurance company already covering a risk)

indemnify (secure against future loss, damage, or liability; give security for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

insurance (promise of reimbursement in the case of loss; paid to people or companies so concerned about hazards that they have made prepayments to an insurance company)

insurer (a financial institution that sells insurance)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Take out insurance for

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "insure" is one way to...):

protect (shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "insure"):

reinsure (insure again by transferring to another insurance company all or a part of a liability assumed)

reinsure (provide additional insurance for)

coinsure (take out coinsurance)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

insurance (protection against future loss)

 Context examples 

You have only to do this, to show a regard for your word, and to keep out of debt in order to insure a happy and respected life.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I came personally, Mr. Holmes, in order to insure that you would return with me.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

MY gratitude will be insured immediately by any information tending to that end, and HERS must be gained by it in time.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

They rushed in and overpowered her with their chloroform, carried her down, poured more into the coffin to insure against her waking, and then screwed down the lid.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Payment by a third-party payer in a sum equal to the amount expended by a health care provider or facility for health services rendered to an insured or program beneficiary.

(Insurance, Health, Reimbursement, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

She had one idea firmly fixed, however, which insured her security.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Their reason for choosing so unusual an hour for a consultation was obviously to insure that there should be no other patient in the waiting-room.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Most parents know the basics of keeping children healthy, like offering them healthy foods, making sure they get enough sleep and exercise and insuring their safety.

(Children's Health, NIH)

A mechanism for guarding against financial aspects of risk by making payments in the form of premiums to an insurance company, which pays an agreed-upon sum to the insured in the event of loss.

(Insurance, NCI Thesaurus)

For two months Alleyne had wavered betwixt death and life, with a broken rib and a shattered head; yet youth and strength and a cleanly life were all upon his side, and he awoke from his long delirium to find that the war was over, that the Spaniards and their allies had been crushed at Navaretta, and that the prince had himself heard the tale of his ride for succor and had come in person to his bedside to touch his shoulder with his sword and to insure that so brave and true a man should die, if he could not live, within the order of chivalry.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)