security

se·cu·ri·ty

noun \si-ˈkyu̇r-ə-tē\

plural se·cu·ri·ties

Definition of SECURITY

1

: the quality or state of being secure: as

a : freedom from danger : safety

b : freedom from fear or anxiety

c : freedom from the prospect of being laid off <job security>

2

a : something given, deposited, or pledged to make certain the fulfillment of an obligation

b : surety

3

: an instrument of investment in the form of a document (as a stock certificate or bond) providing evidence of its ownership

4

a : something that secures : protection

b (1) : measures taken to guard against espionage or sabotage, crime, attack, or escape (2) : an organization or department whose task is security

Examples of SECURITY

1. We must insure our national security.
2. The college failed to provide adequate security on campus after dark.
3. There was a lapse in security and the inmates escaped.
4. We have to go through security at the airport.
5. We called security when we found the door open.
6. The meeting was held under tight security.
7. The prisoner was being kept under maximum security.
8. I like the security of knowing there will be someone there to help me when I need help.
9. Growing up in a close family gave her a sense of security.

First Known Use of SECURITY

15th century

Related to SECURITY

Synonyms

aegis (also egis), ammunition, armor, buckler, cover, guard, protection, safeguard, screen, defense, shield, wall, ward

Antonyms

danger, distress, endangerment, imperilment, jeopardy, peril, trouble

Related Words

arm, armament, munitions, weapon, weaponry; fastness, fort, fortress, palisade, stronghold

Near Antonyms

aggression, assault, attack, offense (or offence), offensive

Rhymes with SECURITY

futurity, impurity, maturity, obscurity

se·cu·ri·ty

noun \si-ˈkyu̇r-ət-ē\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; se·cu·ri·ties

Medical Definition of SECURITY

: freedom from fear or anxiety <need for security dates back into infancy—K. C. Garrison>

security

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In finance, written evidence of ownership conferring the right to receive property not currently in the holder's possession. The most common securities are stocks and bonds. Governments, companies, and financial institutions use securities to raise money. Stocks are securities issued in the form of equity ownership. Bonds are securities that take the form of debt. They constitute promises to pay a specified amount at a specified date and to pay interest at a specified rate in the interim. Most government securities are bonds that pay a fixed amount of interest per year; unlike commercial securities, their repayment is guaranteed. Both stocks and bonds are traded publicly on organized exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. External forces such as international troubles, changes in government policies, and trends in foreign stock markets all have an effect on security prices. For individual stocks, the company's current and prospective financial performance play an important role, as do overall trends within its business sector. See also investment; saving.