Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French assurer, from Medieval Latin assecurare, from Latin ad- + securus secure
Pronunciation : &-shur
Function : transitive verb
Date : 14th century
1. promise, pledge. assure\as*sure\ , v. t. [imp. & p. p. assured ; p. pr. & vb. n. assuring.] [of. aseürer, f. assurer, ll. assecurare; l. ad + securus secure, sure, certain. see:
secure, sure, and cf. insure.].
2. to make sure or certain; to render confident by a promise, declaration, or other evidence. his promise that thy seed shall bruise our foe assures me that the bitterness of death is past, and we shall live.
3. to declare to, solemnly; to assert to (any one) with the design of inspiring belief or confidence. i dare assure thee that no enemy shall ever take alive the noble brutus.
4. to confirm; to make certain or secure. and it shall be assured to him. xxvii.
5. and hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. ii.
6. 4. to affiance; to betroth. [obs.].
7. (law) to insure; to covenant to indemnify for loss, or to pay a specified sum at death. see:
insure.
8. To make sure or certain; to render confident by a promise, declaration, or other evidence.
9. To declare to, solemnly; to assert to with the design of inspiring belief or confidence.
10. To confirm; to make certain or secure.
11. To affiance; to betroth.
12. To insure; to covenant to indemnify for loss, or to pay a specified sum at death.
13. See Insure. assure somebody of the truth of something with the intention of giving the listener confidence; "I assured him that traveling to Cambodia was safe" inform positively and with certainty and confidence; "I tell you that man is a crook!".
14. 1. If you assure someone that something is true or will happen, you tell them that it is definitely true or will definitely happen, often in order to make them less worried. He hastened to assure me that there was nothing traumatic to report `Are you sure the raft is safe?' she asked anxiously. `Couldn't be safer,' Max assured her confidently Government officials recently assured Hindus of protection. see also:
assured = reassure.
15. To assure someone of something means to make certain that they will get it. Last night's resounding victory over Birmingham City has virtually assured them of promotion Ways must be found to assure our children a decent start in life. = guarantee.
16. emphasis You use phrases such as I can assure you or let me assure you to emphasize the truth of what you are saying. I can assure you that the animals are well cared for.