What does "secure" mean?
To make safe; to relieve from apprehensions of, or exposure to, danger; to guard; to protect.
Secure
/sɪˈkjʊə(ɹ)/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To make safe; to relieve from apprehensions of, or exposure to, danger; to guard; to protect.
- Grammar: secure is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: dependable, safe, accept, achieve.
- Useful contrasts: insecure, rickety, assailable.
- Usage evidence: You are secure from danger here.
How to use "secure"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "secure" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "secure" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "secure" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "secure" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "secure" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dependable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "secure", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To make safe; to relieve from apprehensions of, or exposure to, danger; to guard; to protect.
"I spread a cloud before the victor's sight, / Sustained the vanquished, and secured his flight."
- 2 make certain of wordnet
- 3 To put beyond hazard of losing or of not receiving; to make certain; to assure; frequently with against or from, or formerly with of.
"to secure a creditor against loss; to secure a debt by a mortgage"
- 4 furnish with battens wordnet
- 5 To make fast; to close or confine effectually; to render incapable of getting loose or escaping.
"to secure a prisoner; to secure a door, or the hatches of a ship"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 cause to be firmly attached wordnet
- 7 To get possession of; to make oneself secure of; to acquire certainly.
"to secure an estate"
- 8 fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug wordnet
- 9 To plight or pledge. obsolete, transitive
- 10 get by special effort wordnet
- 11 assure payment of wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Free from attack or danger; protected.
"The vast majority of American Jews not only greatly dislike President Trump but also believe he has made them less safe: according to a May 2019 poll, nearly three-quarters of Jewish voters believe American Jews are less secure under Trump than they were before, 71 percent disapprove of Trump’s overall job performance, and nearly 60 percent believe that he bears at least some responsibility for the synagogue shootings carried out by white nationalists in Pittsburgh and Poway."
- 2 Free from the danger of theft; safe.
- 3 Free from the risk of eavesdropping, interception or discovery; secret.
- 4 Free from anxiety or doubt; unafraid.
"But thou, secure of soul, unbent with woes."
- 5 Firm and not likely to fail; stable.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Free from the risk of financial loss; reliable.
- 7 Confident in opinion; not entertaining, or not having reason to entertain, doubt; certain; sure; commonly used with of.
"secure of a welcome"
- 8 Overconfident; incautious; careless. obsolete
"They were secure where they ought to have been wary, and timorous where they might well have been secure."
- 9 Certain to be achieved or gained; assured.
"Just when victory seemed secure, they let it slip from their grasp."
Adjective
- 1 free from fear or doubt; easy in mind wordnet
- 2 free from danger or risk wordnet
- 3 not likely to fail or give way wordnet
- 4 financially safe wordnet
- 5 immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"You are secure from danger here."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "secure"?
Common synonyms include: dependable, safe, accept, achieve, achieves, acquire.
How do you use "secure" in a sentence?
You are secure from danger here.
How do you pronounce "secure"?
Pronounced /sɪˈkjʊə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin sēcūrus (“of persons, free from care, quiet, easy; in a bad sense, careless, reckless; of things, tranquil, also free from danger, safe, secure”), from sē- (“without”) + cūra (“care”); see cure. Doublet of sure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”).