Security Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms security American [si-kyoor-i-tee] / sɪˈkyʊər ɪ ti /

noun

plural

securities

1. freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.

2. freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence.

   Synonyms: positiveness, certainty, assurance

3. something that secures or makes safe; protection; defense.

   Synonyms: safety, safeguard

4. freedom from financial cares or from want.

   The insurance policy gave the family security.

5. precautions taken to guard against crime, attack, sabotage, espionage, etc..

   claims that security was lax at the embassy;

   the importance of computer security to prevent hackers from gaining access.

6. a department or organization responsible for protection or safety.

   He called security when he spotted the intruder.

7. protection or precautions taken against escape; custody.

   The dangerous criminal was placed under maximum security.

8. an assurance; guarantee.

9. Law.

   1. something given or deposited as surety for the fulfillment of a promise or an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.

   2. one who becomes surety for another.

10. an evidence of debt or of property, as a bond or a certificate of stock.

11. Usually securities. stocks and bonds.

12. Archaic. overconfidence; cockiness.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or serving as security.

   The company has instituted stricter security measures.

security British / sɪˈkjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being secure

2. assured freedom from poverty or want

   he needs the security of a permanent job

3. a person or thing that secures, guarantees, etc

4. precautions taken to ensure against theft, espionage, etc

   the security in the government offices was not very good

5. (often plural)

   1. a certificate of creditorship or property carrying the right to receive interest or dividend, such as shares or bonds

   2. the financial asset represented by such a certificate

6. the specific asset that a creditor can claim title to in the event of default on an obligation

7. something given or pledged to secure the fulfilment of a promise or obligation

8. a person who undertakes to fulfil another person's obligation

9. the protection of data to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to computer files

10. archaic carelessness or overconfidence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 security Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing security

• lull into (false sense of security)

Other Word Forms

• nonsecurity noun
• oversecurity noun
• self-security noun
• subsecurity noun

Etymology

Origin of security

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English securytye, securite(e), from Latin sēcūritās; secure, -ity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Funeral prayers took place amid tightened security, with soldiers standing guard and police checkpoints set up in key areas.

From BBC

A security guard patrols the Guthrie house, keeping media and amateur sleuths from coming too close.

From BBC

There has been anger in Italy over the presence of some agents from the US immigration enforcement agency ICE as part of security for the American delegation.

From Barron's

“I don’t know why anyone would want to try to write their own security code. … You need someone who is more knowledgeable in the subject matter to write that software for you,” said Needham’s Berg.

From MarketWatch

Tod notes that the security system he’s installed is “overkill” for a private residence, necessary only “if you are in danger, you have something to hide — or both.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bond
• care
• freedom
• guarantee
• insurance
• preservation
• surveillance

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.