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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To inform positively, as to remove doubt: assured us that the train would be on time.
  2. v. To cause to feel sure: assured her of his devotion.
  3. v. To give confidence to; reassure.
  4. v. To make certain; ensure: "Nothing in history assures the success of our civilization” ( Herbert J. Muller).
  5. v. To make safe or secure.
  6. v. Chiefly British To insure, as against loss.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To make sure or certain; convince or make confident, as by a promise, declaration, or other evidence: as, to assure a person of one's favor or love.
  2. To declare solemnly to; assert earnestly to; endeavor to convince by assertion: as, I assure you I am speaking the truth.
  3. To secure or confirm; make sure to be or to continue; give certainty or stability to: as, to assure a person's position or possessions.
  4. To free from obscurity, ambiguity, or uncertainty.
  5. To embolden; make confident.
  6. To affiance; betroth.
  7. To insure, as against loss. Synonyms Insure, Assure (see insure); to asseverate to, encourage, vouch to, warrant.
  8. To confide; trust.
  9. To promise; pledge one's self.

Wiktionary

  1. v. To make sure and secure.
  2. v. To give (someone) confidence in the trustworthiness of (something).
  3. v. To guarantee, promise (to do something).
  4. v. To reassure.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To make sure or certain; to render confident by a promise, declaration, or other evidence.
  2. v. To declare to, solemnly; to assert to (any one) with the design of inspiring belief or confidence.
  3. v. To confirm; to make certain or secure.
  4. v. To affiance; to betroth.
  5. v. To insure; to covenant to indemnify for loss, or to pay a specified sum at death. See Insure.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. assure somebody of the truth of something with the intention of giving the listener confidence
  2. v. make certain of
  3. v. cause to feel sure; give reassurance to
  4. v. be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something
  5. v. inform positively and with certainty and confidence
  6. v. make a promise or commitment

Etymologies

  1. Middle English assuren, from Old French assurer, from Vulgar Latin *assēcūrāre, to make sure : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin sēcūrus, secure; see secure.

Examples

  • “For example, if a motive for anti-zionism is “a similarly tribalistic concern for the welfare of the Palestinians, as Palestinians”, but oppose a two state solution where Jews may maintain assure welfare by similar means, then they are giving rights to one for the express concern of giving it to another.”

    Matthew Yglesias » A Back and Forth on Israel

  • “Washington says it will need more personnel and a bigger embassy to supervise the distribution of the increased aid to Pakistan, and more mercenaries (aka "contractors") to protect them and assure "stability" - a code word for the Pax Americana.”

    Eric Margolis: Lies Drive the Afghan War

  • “The his war turned out to be based on fraud in its inception and incompetency in its prosecution, and Bush supporters turned their attention back to the economy which, they assure, is in rapid recovery.”

    Those that can't...

  • “Shakspeare's day and that of our own, I call assure him that I am not quite so ignorant of the fact as he imagines.”

    Notes and Queries, Number 42, August 17, 1850

  • “May I again assure you how deeply grateful I am to you for having given me the opportunity of coming amongst you today.”

    The Record of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade

  • “To do so, it needs to brand it's top teams as the leaders - and the calls assure that success.”

    Blog updates

  • “Tony Blair couldn't say the word 'assure' - it came out as "ashoooer".”

    Gordon Brown & Rab C Nesbitt

  • “[Page 87] pleasures of the theatre; unless it be, my having been persuaded, five years ago, to attend it one evening; – and though, certainly, I am not aware of having sustained any material injury, either to my moral or spiritual feelings, I have ever since decidedly resolved never to repeat the visit; and I hope you will believe me when I once again assure you that I do disapprove of such amusements; and should think it very dangerous, and exceedingly wrong to be in the habit of frequenting them.”

    Memoirs, Correspondence and Poetical Remains of Jane Taylor

  • “Lovely and deceived one, I trust, trembling I say it, that I can with one word assure you that I am Eboli.”

    Ferdinando Eboli

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‘assure’ has been looked up 1436 times, added to 8 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 6.