insure

English

Etymology

Recorded since about 1440, as a variant of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English ensuren (from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Anglo-Norman enseurer, itself from en- "make" + (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French seür "sure", probably influenced by Old French asseürer "to assure"); took on its particular sense of "make safe against loss by payment of premiums" in 1635, replacing assure.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈʃʊə/, /ɪnˈʃɔː/
• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈʃʊɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r), -ʊə(r)
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ) (in some dialects)

Verb

insure (third-person singular simple present insures, present participle insuring, simple past and past participle insured)

1. (transitive) To provide for compensation if some specified risk occurs. Often agreed by policy (contract) to offer financial compensation in case of an accident, theft or other undesirable event.

   I'm not insured against burglary.

2. (intransitive) To deal in such contracts; subscribe to a policy of insurance
3. (chiefly US, transitive) Alternative spelling of ensure; to make sure or certain of; guarantee.
   • 1787, Preamble to the United States Constitution,

     We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

   • 1924, Herman Melville, Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co., Chapter 19, [1]

     […] the sentry placed over the prisoner had strict orders to let no one have communication with him but the Chaplain. And certain unobtrusive measures were taken absolutely to insure this point.

Usage notes

• (provide for compensation): Note that both the person taking out insurance and the company with whom the policy is taken are said to insure the risk.

Derived terms

• insurance
• insurer
• reinsure

Related terms

• insurant
• assure
• ensure

Translations

to provide for compensation if some risk occurs

• Armenian: ապահովագրել (hy) (apahovagrel)
• Bulgarian: застраховам (bg) (zastrahovam)
• Catalan: assegurar (ca)
• Czech: pojistit
• Danish: forsikre
• Dutch: verzekeren (nl)
• Esperanto: asekuri (eo)
• Finnish: vakuuttaa (fi)
• French: assurer (fr)
• German: versichern (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: biztosít (hu)
• Italian: assicurare (it)
• Latvian: apdrošināt
• Maori: inihua
• Polish: ubezpieczać (pl) impf, ubezpieczyć (pl) pf
• Russian: страхова́ть (ru) impf (straxovátʹ), застрахова́ть (ru) pf (zastraxovátʹ)
• Spanish: asegurar (es)
• Swedish: försäkra (sv)
• Turkish: sigorta etmek (tr)

to deal in such contracts

• Dutch: verzekeren (nl), doen in verzekeringen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: страхова́ть (ru) impf (straxovátʹ), застрахова́ть (ru) pf (zastraxovátʹ)

to ensure

• Bulgarian: осигурявам (bg) (osigurjavam)
• Dutch: garanderen (nl), verzekeren (nl), waarborgen (nl)
• Hungarian: gondoskodik (hu), tesz róla, gondja van rá, biztosít (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: страхова́ться (ru) impf (straxovátʹsja), подстрахова́ться (ru) pf (podstraxovátʹsja)
• Turkish: güvence vermek

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} verzekeren (nl), ^{(please verify)} borgen voor (nl)
• German: ^{(please verify)} versichern (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} asigura (ro)

See also

• inshore

Anagrams

• inures, nursie, rusine, urines, ursine