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secure

/səˈkjʊɹ/
adjectiveverb

Secure meaning: to make safe, certain, or firmly fixed; SECURE scores 8 points in Scrabble and has five anagrams.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Adjective 4 meanings

  1. Free from attack or danger; protected.

  2. Free from the danger of theft; safe.

  3. Free from the risk of eavesdropping, interception or discovery; secret.

  4. Free from anxiety or doubt; unafraid.

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To make safe; to relieve from apprehensions of, or exposure to, danger; to guard; to protect.

  2. To put beyond hazard of losing or of not receiving; to make certain; to assure; frequently with against or from, or formerly with of.

    “to secure a creditor against loss; to secure a debt by a mortgage”

  3. To fix in place; to close or confine effectually; to render incapable of getting loose or escaping.

    “to secure a prisoner; to secure a door, or the hatches of a ship”

  4. To get possession of; to make oneself secure of; to acquire certainly.

    “to secure an estate”

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sēcūrus (“of persons, free from care, quiet, easy; in a bad sense, careless, reckless; of things, tranquil, also free from danger, safe, secure”), from sē- (“without”) + cūra (“care”); see cure. Doublet of sure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”).

Similar and opposite words

Opposite
insecure

Secure is a common six-letter verb with several closely related senses. You can secure a person by protecting them, secure a result by making it certain, secure a lid by fastening it, or secure a prize by obtaining it. Its letters also rearrange into familiar RESCUE and RECUSE, plus three less familiar words.

SECURE at a glance

  • SECURE has six letters and scores 8 points in Scrabble.
  • C is the only letter worth more than 1 point: it adds 3.
  • The other five tiles are S, E, U, R, and E, each worth 1 point.
  • Five anagrams use the same six letters, including RESCUE and RECUSE.
  • RECURE is SECURE’s only one-letter neighbour.

What does secure mean?

To secure something is to protect it from danger or loss. The word also means to make an outcome certain, as when you secure a place or agreement. These senses share the idea of taking something out of doubt or danger.

Secure can also mean to fasten something firmly or confine it so it cannot escape. In another sense, it means to obtain something for yourself. That range makes the verb work for a locked gate, a safe position, or a prize you have won.

Secure meaning in play: score, anagrams, and neighbours

The Scrabble total is 8: C contributes 3 points, while S, both Es, U, and R contribute 1 apiece. There is no premium-square bonus in that base value, so the C is the tile to protect if you are weighing where to place the word.

RESCUE and RECUSE are the most recognizable rearrangements; CEREUS, CERUSE, and CESURE complete the five. The last three are less familiar, so an anagram’s appearance in a word list does not guarantee that your game accepts it. Check your game’s word list before playing an obscure form.

A one-letter change produces just RECURE. That is a narrow neighbour set: changing one tile does not open a cluster of obvious alternatives. For other six-letter options beginning with S or ending in E, compare the matching word lists or use the Finder.

Rhymes with secure

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • RECURE8

Questions people ask

What does secure mean?
Secure means to make someone or something safe, certain, or firmly fixed. It can also mean to obtain something for yourself. The shared idea is removing risk, doubt, or movement: you can secure a person, an outcome, a fastener, or a prize.
How many points is SECURE in Scrabble?
SECURE is worth 8 points before any board bonuses. Its C is worth 3 points, and its S, two Es, U, and R are worth 1 point each. A premium square can change the turn’s total, but not the word’s base tile value.
What are the anagrams of SECURE?
The five anagrams are RESCUE, RECUSE, CEREUS, CERUSE, and CESURE. RESCUE and RECUSE are the most recognizable; CEREUS, CERUSE, and CESURE are rarer words that you will seldom meet outside word lists.

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