/ ɪnˈʃʊərəns; -ʃɔːr-; NAmE -ˈʃʊr-/ noun
1.
[ U , C ] insurance (against sth) an arrangement with a company in which you pay them regular amounts of money and they agree to pay the costs, for example, if you die or are ill / sick, or if you lose or damage sth :
life / car / travel / household, etc. insurance
to have adequate insurance cover
to take out insurance against fire and theft
insurance premiums (= the regular payments made for insurance)
Can you claim for the loss on your insurance ?
—see also National Insurance
2.
[ U ] the business of providing people with insurance :
an insurance broker / company
He works in insurance.
3.
[ U ] money paid by or to an insurance company :
to pay insurance on your house
When her husband died, she received £50 000 in insurance.
4.
[ U , C ] insurance (against sth) something you do to protect yourself against sth bad happening in the future :
At that time people had large families as an insurance against some children dying.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (originally as ensurance in the sense ensuring, assurance, a guarantee ): from Old French enseurance , from enseurer , alteration of Old French aseurer , earlier form of assurer , based on Latin ad- to (expressing change) + securus , from se- without + cura care. Sense 1 dates from the mid 17th cent.