Dictionary

ensure en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈʃʊɹ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɪnˈʃɝ/ (General-American)
• /ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)/ pour–poor merger
• /ɪnˈʃʊə(ɹ)/ without the pour–poor merger

Etymology

From Middle English ensuren, from Anglo-Norman enseurer, from Old French seur (“sure”). Doublet of insure.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To make sure or certain of something (usually some future event or condition).
   • I use an alarm clock to ensure that I get up on time.
   • British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far. 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
2. (obsolete, transitive) To make a pledge to (someone); to promise, guarantee (someone of something); to assure.
   • Thenne he cryed hym mercy and sayd Faire knyght for goddes loue slee me not / and I shall ensure the neuer werre ageynst thy lady / but be alwey toward her / Thenne Bors lete hym be 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “xvj”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XVI:

Forms

Deriveds

ensurer

Relateds

inshore · insure · assure

Translations (59)

gv shickyree (make sure or certain) · it assicurare (make sure or certain) · io certigar (make sure or certain) · fi varmistaa (make sure or certain) · cs zajistit (make sure or certain) · eu segurtatu (make sure or certain) · es garantizarse (make sure or certain) · pl upewniać (make sure or certain) · ru страхова́ться (make sure or certain) · be упэўнівацца (make sure or certain) · ru удостове́риться (make sure or certain) · cmn 確保 /确保 (make sure or certain) · hu gondoskodik (make sure or certain) · mi whakatūturu (make sure or certain) · tr güvence vermek (make sure or certain) · cy sicrháu (make sure or certain) · khb ᦁᦱᦙᦃᦱᧄᧈ (make sure or certain) · uk гарантува́ти (make sure or certain) · br asuri (make sure or certain) · ml ഉറപ്പാക്കൂ (make sure or certain) · fr assurer (make sure or certain) · pl zapewnić (make sure or certain) · hu tesz róla (make sure or certain) · pl utwierdzić (make sure or certain) · ru убеди́ться (make sure or certain) · nl waarborgen (make sure or certain) · pt assegurar (make sure or certain) · it fare in modo che (make sure or certain) · es velar por (make sure or certain) · fr garantir (make sure or certain) · bg осигуря́ (make sure or certain) · pl zapewniać (make sure or certain) · ang lōcian (make sure or certain) · nl verzekeren (make sure or certain) · uk забезпе́чувати (make sure or certain) · pt garantir (make sure or certain) · es asegurarse (make sure or certain) · de sicherstellen (make sure or certain) · hu gondja van rá (make sure or certain) · de gewährleisten (make sure or certain) · ro asigura (make sure or certain) · hu biztosít (make sure or certain) · az təmin etmək (make sure or certain) · nl garanderen (make sure or certain) · be пераканацца (make sure or certain) · tr sağlamak (make sure or certain) · be упэўніцца (make sure or certain) · sv säkerställa (make sure or certain) · tr emin olmak (make sure or certain) · bg осигурявам (make sure or certain) · ht asire (make sure or certain) · uk забезпе́чити (make sure or certain) · ru подстрахова́ться (make sure or certain) · sv se till (make sure or certain) · fr s'assurer (make sure or certain) · pl upewnić (make sure or certain) · be пераконвацца (make sure or certain) · tr garantiye almak (make sure or certain) · it garantire (make sure or certain)