How is the word insure distinct from other similar verbs?
Some common synonyms of insure are assure, ensure, and secure. While all these words mean "to make a thing or person sure," insure sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand.
careful planning should insure the success of the party
When can assure be used instead of insure?
In some situations, the words assure and insure are roughly equivalent. However, assure distinctively implies the removal of doubt and suspense from a person's mind.
I assure you that no harm will be done
How is ensure related to other words for insure?
Ensure, insure, and assure are interchangeable in many contexts where they indicate the making certain or inevitable of an outcome, but ensure may imply a virtual guarantee.
the government has ensured the safety of the refugees
When is secure a more appropriate choice than insure?
The words secure and insure can be used in similar contexts, but secure implies action taken to guard against attack or loss.
sent reinforcements to secure their position
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insureIn other words: The senior citizens that UnitedHealth insures through its large Medicare business are going to the doctor more than expected, increasing the company's costs of providing care.—Maria Aspan, NPR, 13 May 2025 Following Fraud Scheme Response Arizona is one of nine states where such a change could trigger the end of Medicaid expansion, which currently insures 648,000 low-income residents, or about 30% of AHCCCS recipients.—Jasmine Demers, ProPublica, 6 May 2025 This bill proposes to delete the requirement that the insurance policy name the HOA as an additionally named insured.—Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2025 The departures won’t affect patients who aren’t insured by Kaiser, because those physicians rarely saw patients with other coverage, said Scott Peek, president of Intermountain Health’s Front Range facilities, including Saint Joseph, Good Samaritan and Lutheran.—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for insure
There are so many cures to be discovered, sources of energy to be revealed – the discoveries that will shape the future and assure American competitiveness into the next century.
—
Ann Kirschner,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Rowland assured the bankers at a private dinner in downtown Hartford that Matthews would get a state loan to supplement the private financing.
Though no losses are never guaranteed, trade structures can guarantee a max loss of a position, using things like call and put spreads to cap downside.
—
Alexander S. Blume,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
All Norton customers are guaranteed up to $1 million toward such expenses as paying lawyers and experts.
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