Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

insurance

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun British English pronunciation: insurance /ɪnˈʃʊərəns/
  1. 1
    [uncountable] an arrangement in which you regularly pay an insurance company an amount of money so that they will give you money if something you own is damaged, lost, or stolen, or if you die or are ill or injured

    health/life/house/car insurance

    take out insurance:

    You have to take out building and contents insurance as a condition of the mortgage.

    insurance against:

    They provide free insurance against loss or damage up to £5,000.

    have insurance for/on something:

    Do you have insurance for the house yet?

    claim (for) something/make a claim for something on your insurance:

    Can you claim the repairs on your insurance?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  insuranceThesaurus entry for this meaning of insurance
    1. a.
      [uncountable] the business of selling insurance to people

      He’s in insurance.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  insuranceThesaurus entry for this meaning of insurance
  3. 3
    [singular/uncountable] a situation or action intended to prevent something bad from happening or to prevent you from being affected by it if it does happen
    insurance against:

    The hostages were being held as insurance against further bombing raids.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  insuranceThesaurus entry for this meaning of insurance

This is the British English definition of insurance. View American English definition of insurance.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

glottal stop

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog