ensure

verb

in-ˈshu̇r How to pronounce ensure (audio)
Definition of ensurenext
as in to assure
to make sure, certain, or safe regulations that ensure the wholesomeness of our food

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ensure distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of ensure are assure, insure, and secure. While all these words mean "to make a thing or person sure," 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

Where would assure be a reasonable alternative to ensure?

The meanings of assure and ensure largely overlap; however, assure distinctively implies the removal of doubt and suspense from a person's mind.

I assure you that no harm will be done

When could insure be used to replace ensure?

Although the words insure and ensure have much in common, insure sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand.

careful planning should insure the success of the party

When is secure a more appropriate choice than ensure?

The words secure and ensure 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ensure Yet significant challenges remain in ensuring that these advances reach the people who need them. — Bruce Bebo, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026 The commission was responsible for ensuring that every citizen made it onto the electoral rolls. — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026 The Justice Department routinely sends election monitors to polling locations to ensure compliance with laws and that voters’ rights are protected. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Achieving such multitudes was a practice of refinement over many months, nailing the balance between wood, gourmand, and smokey facets, while still ensuring the final result wasn’t too heavy. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ensure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensure
  1. assure
  2. guarantee
Verb
  • And although the menu shifts from week to week, rest assured that whatever choices lie before you, good eats are in store.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • As to authenticating that low odometer reading, Weaver assures that plugging a reader into its transmission revealed the exact mileage.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of assure
Verb
  • The steady trickle of those recordings into the groundwater of influence has guaranteed the album its afterlife, both as a great lost future of American music and as a central pillar in the group’s legacy.
    — Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Her departure is not guaranteed and the talks could fall apart, the people said.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of guarantee

Browse Nearby Words

ensuing
ensure
ensured
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Cite this Entry

“Ensure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensure. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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