secure

Protected so that someone cannot easily steal it or enter without permission.

• Keep your passport in a secure place.
• Is this website secure for online payments?
• The doors are locked and the building is secure.

How to use it: secure against something (The safe is secure against theft.)

Similar words: safe, protected

Opposites: insecure, unprotected

Common phrases: secure storage, secure website, secure payment, secure location

Firmly established and unlikely to fail, end, or be lost.

• She has a secure job.
• Their financial future now looks secure.
• The agreement puts our business on a more secure footing.

Similar words: stable, certain, assured

Opposites: insecure, unstable

Common phrases: secure job, secure future, financially secure, secure position

Held firmly in place, so it is unlikely to move or fall.

• The ladder feels secure.
• Make sure the bicycle is secure on the rack.
• Are the shelves still secure after the move?

Similar words: firm, fastened, fixed

Opposites: loose

Common phrases: secure knot, secure fastening, firm and secure

Feeling safe and confident about yourself, without fear or worry.

• The child feels secure at home.
• He became more emotionally secure as he grew older.
• Do you feel secure in your relationship?

How to use it: secure in something (She feels secure in her relationship.)

Similar words: confident, self-assured

Opposites: insecure

Common phrases: feel secure, emotionally secure, secure in yourself

To succeed in getting something you want or need.

• She secured a job at the museum.
• We have secured funding for the project.
• Can the team secure another victory tonight?

Similar words: get, obtain, gain

Opposites: lose

Common phrases: secure a job, secure funding, secure a contract, secure a place

To fasten, lock, or hold something firmly so it cannot move, open, or escape.

• Please secure the gate before leaving.
• They secured the cargo with ropes.
• The officers secured the prisoner in a locked room.

How to use it: secure something to something (Secure the ladder to the wall.); secure something with something (He secured the box with a strong strap.)

Similar words: fasten, lock, fix

Opposites: release, unfasten

Common phrases: secure the door, secure the load, secure something firmly

To protect someone or something against loss, or make a payment or result certain.

• The loan is secured by property.
• This agreement secures the supplier against loss.
• They secured the debt with shares in the company.

How to use it: secure something against something (The policy secures the owner against financial loss.); secure something with something (They secured the loan with their house.)

Similar words: guarantee, safeguard, assure

Common phrases: secure a debt, secure a loan, secure against loss