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 insureFloridians pay roughly three times the national average to insure a home, and across South Florida that’s thousands of dollars a year that prices working families out of ownership.—
Oliver Adams Larkin,
Sun Sentinel,
10 July 2026 The libreta, the rationing system that used to insure Cubans against hunger, operates only sporadically now.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
The Conversation,
9 July 2026 And that's because federal crop insurance programs are designed to insure single crops with one growing season, like corn, soybean and wheat, said Duncan Orlander, a policy specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.—ABC News,
8 July 2026 Every decision made today about where to build, where to source, where to hire, and how to insure is already a heat decision, whether leaders recognise it or not.—
Jamil Wyne,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for insure
Les Bleus were then a penalty shootout away from retaining it four years later when a Mbappe hat-trick improbably wasn’t enough to ensure France became the first team to retain the trophy since Brazil in 1962.
—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
19 July 2026
This approach, exemplified by Al Jazeera and hosting the World Cup, ensured Qatar's survival and influence, even during the 2017 blockade.