Words / B2

si-KY-oor/sɪˈkjʊə/

To secure is to obtain something after effort, to make a place safe, or to fasten it: secure a place; secure the lab. Get is everyday; obtain is formal (already in the dictionary). She secured a work-experience place. Adjective: safe and certain. Mix-up: secret is hidden (already in the dictionary); security is the noun (already elsewhere). Do not write secure for “secret”.

Meaning

To get something, often after effort; also to make a place safe, or to fasten it.

Examples

• “She secured a work-experience place after the second interview.”
• “Secure the chemical store before you leave, which is the make-safe sense.”

Good to know

secure a place / deal; secure the + building. Everyday: get. Noun: security. Trap: secret. UCAS, news, and H&S. Obtain or make safe, not “hidden”.

Near in meaning

obtain

New