assure
- assure
assure, assurance
These are terms used principally in the context of life insurance, although even here the verb is no longer common. You insure your life and take out life assurance (or insurance). Both words are rapidly becoming redundant except in conservative business circles.
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assure, ensure, insure
These three words overlap in meaning, and all have to do with aspects of certainty or security. Assure means ‘to make (a person) sure, to convince’, and can be followed by of or a that-clause (She had to leave, but we were assured of future visits / I solemnly assured him I would say nothing to any one). It also has special uses in to rest assured (‘to be comfortably certain’) and as an adjective assured, meaning ‘self-confident’. Ensure means to ‘make certain, guarantee’, and is followed either by a simple object or (more commonly) by a that-clause (an important decision which ensures personal freedom for all American women / The purpose of the scheme was to ensure that claims when made were paid within thirty days). Insure is restricted to the meaning ‘protect by insurance’ The policy insures them against personal liability claims / You can't insure against drought / It was up to the individual to insure his own property).
Modern English usage.
2014.
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Look at other dictionaries:
assuré — assuré, ée [ asyre ] adj. et n. • 1155; de assurer 1 ♦ Vx Qui met en sûreté, à l abri du danger. ⇒ sûr. 2 ♦ (XVIe) Littér. (Choses) Qui est certain. ⇒ évident, indubitable, infaillible, sûr. Tenez pour assuré qu il viendra. La mort, « terme… … Encyclopédie Universelle
assuré — assuré, ée (a su ré, rée) part. passé. 1° En sûreté, à l abri, sûr. Assuré contre les dangers. • Et le sang répandu de mille conjurés Rend mes jours plus maudits et non plus assurés, CORN. Cinna, IV, 3. • Typhon qui se croyait assuré par le … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
Assure — As*sure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Assured}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Assuring}.] [OF. ase[ u]rer, F. assurer, LL. assecurare; L. ad + securus secure, sure, certain. See {Secure}, {Sure}, and cf. {Insure}.] 1. To make sure or certain; to render confident by a … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
assure — as·sure vt as·sured, as·sur·ing 1 chiefly Brit: insure 2 a: to inform positively the seller assured the buyer of his honesty b: to provide a guarantee of … Law dictionary
assure — [v1] convince, relieve doubt bag*, bet on*, comfort, encourage, hearten, inspire, persuade, reassure, satisfy, sell*, sell on*, soothe; concept 68 assure [v2] promise affirm, attest, aver, brace up, buck up, certify, confirm, give one’s word,… … New thesaurus
assure — [ə shoor′] vt. assured, assuring [ME assuren < OFr asseurer < ML assecurare < L ad , to + securus, SECURE] 1. to make (a person) sure of something; convince 2. to give confidence to; reassure [the news assured us] 3. to declare to or… … English World dictionary
assure — (v.) late 14c., from O.Fr. asseurer (12c., Mod.Fr. assurer) to reassure, calm, protect, to render sure, from V.L. *assecurar, from L. ad to (see AD (Cf. ad )) + securus safe, secure (see SECURE (Cf. secure)). Related: ASSURED (Cf … Etymology dictionary
assure — insure, *ensure, secure Antonyms: alarm Contrasted words: *frighten, scare, fright, terrify: abash, discomfit, *embarrass: *intimidate, cow … New Dictionary of Synonyms
assure — ► VERB 1) tell (someone) something positively to dispel doubts. 2) make (something) certain to happen. 3) chiefly Brit. cover by assurance. DERIVATIVES assurer noun. ORIGIN Old French assurer, from Latin securus free from care … English terms dictionary
assure — as|sure W3S2 [əˈʃuə US əˈʃur] v [T] [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: assurer, from Medieval Latin assecurare, from Latin ad to + securus safe ] 1.) to tell someone that something will definitely happen or is definitely true so that they… … Dictionary of contemporary English
