insurance

noun

in·sur·ance | \ in-ˈshu̇r-ən(t)s

, -ˈshər- also ˈin-ˌshu̇r-, -ˌshər-

Definition of insurance

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the business of insuring persons or property

b : coverage by contract whereby one party undertakes to indemnify or guarantee another against loss by a specified contingency or peril

c : the sum for which something is insured

2 : a means of guaranteeing protection or safety The contract is your insurance against price changes. Frequent hand washing is good insurance against the common cold.

3 gambling : a side bet that a player in blackjack may place when the dealer's first faceup card is an ace

Note: An insurance bet can be up to half of a player's original bet. It wins at 2 to 1 odds if the dealer's cards add up to 21.

insurance

adjective

Definition of insurance (Entry 2 of 2)

: being a score that adds to a team's lead and makes it impossible for the opposing team to tie the game with its next score an insurance run

Examples of insurance in a Sentence

Noun

insurance against theft or damage She has a job in insurance. I work for an insurance company.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The application includes information about company officers, previous experience, equipment, insurance and more. — Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press, "Concerns raised about contractors sitting on Detroit wrecking board," 9 July 2018 In that case, parties agreed Phoenix would pay $7.2 million to the family of Vanessa Andrade, with the remaining $2.8 million footed by the city's insurance policy. — Jason Pohl, azcentral, "Phoenix to pay $350K to family of woman found hanging in police van," 6 July 2018 Matthew said that New England's high property values, taxes, insurance, and labor costs have made farming for the agribusiness market unworkable. — Janice Steinhagen, Courant Community, "Blue Slope Farm Sells Off Its Milking Herd," 2 July 2018 Amazon will give them technology and training, as well as discounts on insurance and vehicle leases. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Amazon Wants to Help Entrepreneurs Start Businesses—That Deliver Amazon Packages," 28 June 2018 Her job in the county government required her to supervise County Council legislation, the county budget, personnel, purchasing, insurance and bond sales. — Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, "Raquel Sanudo, longtime Howard County official, dies," 28 June 2018 The property owners had contract agreements with Paradigm Property Solutions that outlined Paradigm's responsibilities for things such as handling repairs, maintaining lawn care, ongoing insurance, and other operating costs on the rental properties. — Ruth Brown, idahostatesman, "Lawsuit accuses Meridian-based property management LLC of embezzling up to $1 million," 27 June 2018 The family had an Anthem Inc. insurance policy through Carla’s job as a public school teacher in Stafford County, Virginia. — John Tozzi, Bloomberg.com, "Sky-High Deductibles Broke the U.S. Health Insurance System," 26 June 2018 Even in Britain, data from the RAC Foundation, a research group, suggest that driving-cost inflation (which includes fuel as well as insurance and so forth) has been lower than bus- or train-ticket inflation over the past ten years. — The Economist, "Public transport is in decline in many wealthy cities," 21 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insurance.' 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 insurance

Last Updated

22 May 2019

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Time Traveler for insurance

The first known use of insurance was in 1651

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More Definitions for insurance

insurance

noun

English Language Learners Definition of insurance

: an agreement in which a person makes regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money if the person is injured or dies, or to pay money equal to the value of something (such as a house or car) if it is damaged, lost, or stolen

: the amount of money a person regularly pays an insurance company as part of an insurance agreement

: the amount of money that a person receives from an insurance company

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

insurance

noun

in·sur·ance | \ in-ˈshu̇r-əns

Kids Definition of insurance

1 : an agreement by which a person pays a company and the company promises to pay money if the person becomes injured or dies or to pay for the value of property lost or damaged

2 : the amount for which something is insured

3 : the business of insuring persons or property

insurance

noun

in·sur·ance | \ in-ˈshu̇r-əns, ˈin-ˌshu̇r-

Legal Definition of insurance

1 : the action, process, or means of insuring or the state of being insured usually against loss or damage by a contingent event (as death, fire, accident, or sickness)

2a : the business of insuring persons or property

b : coverage by contract whereby for an agreed payment one party agrees to indemnify or guarantee another against loss by a specified contingency or peril

c : the principles and practice of the business of insuring

3 : the sum for which something is insured