insulate

verb

in·su·late | \ ˈin(t)-sə-ˌlāt

insulated; insulating

Definition of insulate

: to place in a detached situation : isolate especially : to separate from conducting bodies by means of nonconductors so as to prevent transfer of electricity, heat, or sound

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Examples of insulate in a Sentence

They used a special type of fiberglass to insulate the attic. a material that is able to insulate against cold The company has tried to insulate itself from the region's political turmoil. I wish I could insulate my children from painful experiences.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the future, Icon also plans to print materials such as insulating foams and plastic. 2. — Andrea Powell, WIRED, "How to 3-D Print an Entire House in a Single Day," 11 July 2018 The Justice Department said the case should be thrown out arguing that asylum detention decisions are the sole discretion of government agencies and insulated from court review to prevent asylum applicants from flooding courts with lawsuits. — Spencer S. Hsu, The Seattle Times, "Judge blocks crackdown on asylum seekers, bars blanket detentions of those with persecution claims," 3 July 2018 The Justice Department said the case should be thrown out arguing that asylum detention decisions are the sole discretion of government agencies and insulated from court review to prevent asylum applicants from flooding courts with lawsuits. — Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, "U.S. judge blocks Trump crackdown on asylum seekers, bars blanket detentions of those with persecution claims," 2 July 2018 The Justice Department said the case should be thrown out arguing that asylum detention decisions are the sole discretion of government agencies and insulated from court review to prevent asylum applicants from flooding courts with lawsuits. — Spencer S. Hsu, chicagotribune.com, "Judge blocks crackdown on asylum seekers, bars blanket detentions of those with persecution claims," 2 July 2018 Snow or ice was long harvested from frozen lakes or nearby mountains, then packed in insulating materials — straw, sawdust, leaves, rabbit furs — and kept underground in ice houses through the summer months. — Linda Rodriguez Mcrobbie, BostonGlobe.com, "How ice cream made America," 30 June 2018 The Harley Davidson motorcycle may be as American as apple pie, but that hasn't insulated the iconic brand from Trump’s inaccurate Twitter tirades. — Ethan Bronner, Bloomberg.com, "Inside the Thwarted Venezuelan Military Coup," 28 June 2018 The first is an attempt to explain the mechanism of the disease itself, a disease in which the body’s own immune system decides to attack the fatty, insulating coating of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "The Inward Empire," 27 June 2018 Aside from insulating your body for temperature regulation and cushioning your organs and bones from injury, fat is actually pretty busy. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "The Science on Weight and Health," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for insulate

Last Updated

9 Sep 2018

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Time Traveler for insulate

The first known use of insulate was circa 1741

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More Definitions for insulate

insulate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of insulate

: to add a material or substance to (something) in order to stop heat, electricity, or sound from going into or out of it

: to prevent (someone or something) from dealing with or experiencing something : to keep (someone or something) separate from something unpleasant, dangerous, etc.

See the full definition for insulate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

insulate

verb

in·su·late | \ ˈin-sə-ˌlāt

insulated; insulating

Kids Definition of insulate

1 : to separate from others : isolate At home he insulates himself from the city.

2 : to separate a conductor of electricity, heat, or sound from other conductors by means of something that does not allow the passage of electricity, heat, or sound insulated electrical wire