Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew H.
No. Insure and ensure are synonyms in most contexts (see M-W Concise Dict. English Usage), although there are some commenters (mostly British) who would limit "insure" to financial matters and use "ensure" for general matters.
|
You are correct that Merriam Webster lists it as a synonym. Maybe I need to update my understanding, like I had to do with double spaces after a period in the past decade.
I'm curious how the OED would define this, as the American Heritage Dictionary has this usage note:
Quote:
|
Assure, ensure, and insure all mean "to make secure or certain." Only assure is used with reference to a person in the sense of "to set the mind at rest": The ambassador assured the prime minister of his loyalty. Although ensure and insure are generally interchangeable, only insure is now widely used in American English in the commercial sense of "to guarantee persons or property against risk."
|