secure
Definitions
Free from danger, fear, or worry; firmly fixed or protected.
安全的；牢固的；无忧的。
To make safe or firmly fixed; to obtain or get hold of, especially with effort.
使安全，固定牢；（费力）获得，弄到。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedse- (apart from) + cūra (care) = 'apart from care' = free from worry. From 'nothing to fear' came two everyday meanings: the adjective 'safe' (a secure connection) and the verb 'to make safe / to obtain' — you secure a door, and you secure a deal by locking it down.
Root cur still carries 16 more wordsWhy It Means This
The 'obtain' sense of the verb surprises learners: how does 'free from care' turn into 'get hold of'? The link is locking-down — once you have firmly secured (fixed) something, you possess it safely. So 'secure funding' = nail it down so it can't slip away.
Common Collocations
- 1.secure a deal达成交易
- 2.secure funding获得资金
- 3.secure a position获得职位
- 4.secure the perimeter确保周界安全
Example Sentences
- 1.
Make sure the rope is secure before you climb down.
- 2.
She finally feels secure in her new job.
- 3.
The startup secured funding from three investors.
- 4.
Police secured the building before the visit.
Easily Confused
secure vs safe — Both mean out of danger, but secure adds the idea of being locked down / firmly fixed: a safe neighborhood feels pleasant; a secure system can't be broken into. Use secure for things deliberately protected (passwords, connections, deals), safe for general absence of harm.