Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - insure

~ v 1 to buy insurance to protect yourself against something bad happening to you, your family, your possessions etc  (Have you insured the contents of your home? | insure (sth/sb) against sth)  (It would be wise to insure your property against storm damage. | insure sth for -1000/$2000 etc)  (I would advise you to insure the painting for at least -100,000.) 2 to provide insurance for something or someone  (Many companies won't insure young drivers.) 3 an American spelling of ensure insure against sth phr v to protect yourself against the risk of something bad happening by planning or preparing  (No matter what precautions you may take, you cannot insure against every eventuality.)  ( USAGE NOTE: INSURE WORD CHOICE assure, reassure, insure, ensure, make sure If you assure someone of something, you tell them that it is really true or will happen The receptionist assured me that I would not have to wait long. | Christianity assures us there is life after death. You reassure someone who is worried by telling them that there is nothing to worry about The doctor reassured me that there would be no pain. You may insure something against something bad happening to it by paying money to an insurance company Is the house insured against fire? | Julia Roberts' legs are insured for a large amount of money. It is also possible to insure your life against death, though where something is certain to happen one day the technical British English word is assure. If you ensure (usually insure in American English) that something happens, that means you make certain or make sure (more informal) it does happen Please ensure that the lights are switched off before leaving the building. In some situations assure can be used in this meaning too where the object is reflexive or what is ensured is something such as success, safety, comfort etc I assured myself of a seat at the front (=I made sure I got one). | The band's latest release has assured their success in the rock world (=ensured that they will be successful). )