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Secure

 - 4 dictionary results

se⋅cure

[si-kyoor] adjective, -cur⋅er, -cur⋅est, verb, -cured, -cur⋅ing.
–adjective
1. free from or not exposed to danger or harm; safe.
2. dependable; firm; not liable to fail, yield, become displaced, etc., as a support or a fastening: The building was secure, even in an earthquake.
3. affording safety, as a place: He needed a secure hideout.
4. in safe custody or keeping: Here in the vault the necklace was secure.
5. free from care; without anxiety: emotionally secure.
6. firmly established, as a relationship or reputation: He earned a secure place among the baseball immortals.
7. sure; certain; assured: secure of victory; secure in religious belief.
8. safe from penetration or interception by unauthorized persons: secure radio communications between army units.
9. Archaic. overconfident.
–verb (used with object)
10. to get hold or possession of; procure; obtain: to secure materials; to secure a high government position.
11. to free from danger or harm; make safe: Sandbags secured the town during the flood.
12. to effect; make certain of; ensure: The novel secured his reputation.
13. to make firm or fast, as by attaching: to secure a rope.
14. Finance.
a. to assure payment of (a debt) by pledging property.
b. to assure (a creditor) of payment by the pledge or mortgaging of property.
15. to lock or fasten against intruders: to secure the doors.
16. to protect from attack by taking cover, by building fortifications, etc.: The regiment secured its position.
17. to capture (a person or animal): No one is safe until the murderer is secured.
18. to tie up (a person), esp. by binding the person's arms or hands; pinion.
19. to guarantee the privacy or secrecy of: to secure diplomatic phone conversations.
–verb (used without object)
20. to be or become safe; have or obtain security.
21. Nautical.
a. to cover openings and make movable objects fast: The crew was ordered to secure for sea.
b. to be excused from duty: to secure from general quarters.

Origin:
1525–35; < L sēcūrus carefree, equiv. to sē- se- + cūr(a) care (see cure ) + -us adj. suffix; cf. sure


se⋅cur⋅a⋅ble, adjective
se⋅cure⋅ly, adverb
se⋅cure⋅ness, noun
se⋅cur⋅er, noun


1. protected. See safe. 2. stable, fast, fixed. 7. confident. 10. gain. See get. 11. protect, guard, safeguard. 12. assure, guarantee.


1. unsafe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Secure
se·cure   (sĭ-kyŏŏr')   
adj.   se·cur·er, se·cur·est
  1. Free from danger or attack: a secure fortress.

  2. Free from risk of loss; safe: Her papers were secure in the vault.

  3. Free from the risk of being intercepted or listened to by unauthorized persons: Only one telephone line in the embassy was secure.

  4. Free from fear, anxiety, or doubt.

    1. Not likely to fail or give way; stable: a secure stepladder.

    2. Firmly fastened: a secure lock.

  5. Reliable; dependable: secure investments.

  6. Assured; certain: With three goals in the first period they had a secure victory, but somehow they lost.

  7. Archaic Careless or overconfident.

tr.v.   se·cured, se·cur·ing, se·cures
  1. To guard from danger or risk of loss: The troops secured the area before the civilians were allowed to return.

  2. To make firm or tight; fasten. See Synonyms at fasten.

  3. To make certain; ensure: The speaker could not secure the goodwill of the audience.

    1. To guarantee payment of (a loan, for example).

    2. To guarantee payment to (a creditor).

  4. To get possession of; acquire: secured a job.

  5. To capture or confine: They secured the suspect in the squad car.

  6. To bring about; effect: secured release of the hostages.

  7. To protect or ensure the privacy or secrecy of (a telephone line, for example).


[Latin sēcūrus : sē-, without; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + cūra, care; see cure.]
se·cur'a·ble adj., se·cure'ly adv., se·cure'ment n., se·cure'ness n., se·cur'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

secure 
1533, "without care," from L. securus "without care, safe," from *se cura, from se "free from" (see secret) + cura "care" (see cure). The verb is from 1593. Meaning "firmly fixed" (of material things) is from 1841, on notion of "affording grounds for confidence." Security is attested from 1432, from L. securitas, from securus; phrase security blanket in figurative sense is attested from 1971, in ref. to the crib blanket carried by the character Linus in the "Peanuts" comic strip (1956).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: se·cure
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: se·cured; se·cur·ing
1 : to put beyond hazard of losing or not receiving <secure the blessings of liberty —U.S. Constitution preamble>
2 a : to protect or make certain (as by lien) secure the parties' respective interests —Denton v. Lazenby, 879 Pacific Reporter, Second Series 607 (1994)> b : to give security for (as a loan) or otherwise assure the payment, performance, or execution of with security secure the judgment> c : to give or pledge security to (as a creditor); broadly : to cause to have security or a security interest secured by a lien on real property>
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