in|su|la|tion / I nsjʊle I ʃ ə n, [AM ] -sə-/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Insulation is a thick layer of a substance that keeps something warm, especially a building. □ High electricity bills point to a poor heating system or bad insulation.
2 → see also insulate
in|su|la|tor / I nsjʊle I tə r , [AM ] -sə-/ (insulators ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] An insulator is a material that insulates something. □ [+ against ] Fat is an excellent insulator against the cold.
in|su|lin / I nsjʊl I n, [AM ] -sə-/ N‑UNCOUNT Insulin is a substance that most people produce naturally in their body and which controls the level of sugar in their blood. □ In diabetes the body produces insufficient insulin.
in|sult (insults , insulting , insulted ) The verb is pronounced / I nsʌ lt/. The noun is pronounced / I nsʌlt/. 1 VERB If someone insults you, they say or do something that is rude or offensive. □ [V n] I did not mean to insult you. ● in|sult|ed ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] □ I would be a bit insulted if he said anything like that.
2 N‑COUNT An insult is a rude remark, or something a person says or does which insults you. □ [+ to ] Their behaviour was an insult to the people they represent.
3 PHRASE You say to add insult to injury when mentioning an action or fact that makes an unfair or unacceptable situation even worse.
in|sult|ing / I nsʌ lt I ŋ/ ADJ Something that is insulting is rude or offensive. □ [+ to ] The article was insulting to the families of British citizens. ● in|sult|ing|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ Anthony laughed loudly and insultingly.
in|su|per|able / I nsuː pərəb ə l/ ADJ A problem that is insuperable cannot be dealt with successfully. [FORMAL ] □ …an insuperable obstacle to negotiations.
in|sup|port|able / I nsəpɔː r təb ə l/ ADJ If you say that something is insupportable , you mean that it cannot be coped with or accepted. [FORMAL ] □ He believes that large families place an insupportable burden on the planet's resources. □ Life without Anna had no savour, was tedious, insupportable.
in|sur|ance ◆◆◇ / I nʃʊə rəns/ (insurances )
1 N‑VAR [oft N n] Insurance is an arrangement in which you pay money to a company, and they pay money to you if something unpleasant happens to you, for example if your property is stolen or damaged, or if you get a serious illness. □ The insurance company paid out for the stolen jewellery and silver. □ [+ on ] We recommend that you take out travel insurance on all holidays.
2 N‑VAR If you do something as insurance against something unpleasant happening, you do it to protect yourself in case the unpleasant thing happens. □ [+ against ] The country needs a defence capability as insurance against the unexpected. COLLOCATIONS insurance NOUN 1
noun + insurance : car, health, home, life, travel
verb + insurance : buy, take out SYNONYMS insurance NOUN 1
assurance: …endowment assurance.
cover: Make sure that the firm's insurance cover is adequate.
protection: This is believed to be the first scheme to offer protection against illness.
indemnity: They were charged with failing to have professional indemnity cover.
in|su r|ance ad|just|er (insurance adjusters ) N‑COUNT An insurance adjuster is the same as a claims adjuster . [AM , BUSINESS ] in BRIT, use loss adjuster
in|sure / I nʃʊə r / (insures , insuring , insured )
1 VERB If you insure yourself or your property, you pay money to an insurance company so that, if you become ill or if your property is damaged or stolen, the company will pay you a sum of money. □ [V n] For protection against unforeseen emergencies, you insure your house and your car. □ [V + against/for ] Think carefully before you insure against accident, sickness and redundancy. □ [V n + against ] We automatically insure your belongings against fire and theft. [Also V n + for ]
2 VERB If you insure yourself against something unpleasant that might happen in the future, you do something to protect yourself in case it happens, or to prevent it happening. □ [V pron-refl + against ] He insured himself against failure by treating only people he was sure he could cure. □ [V + against ] All the electronics in the world cannot insure against accidents, though.
3 → see also ensure
in|sured / I nʃʊə r d/ (insured ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] The insured is the person who is insured by a particular policy. [LEGAL ] □ Once the insured has sold his policy, he naturally loses all rights to it.
in|sur|er / I nʃʊə rə r / (insurers ) N‑COUNT An insurer is a company that sells insurance. [BUSINESS ]
in|sur|gen|cy / I nsɜː r dʒ ə nsi/ (insurgencies ) N‑VAR An insurgency is a violent attempt to oppose a country's government carried out by citizens of that country. [FORMAL ] □ He has led a violent armed insurgency for 15 years.
in|sur|gent / I nsɜː r dʒ ə nt/ (insurgents ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Insurgents are people who are fighting against the government or army of their own country. [FORMAL ] □ By early yesterday, the insurgents had taken control of the country's main military air base.
in|sur|mount|able / I nsə r maʊ ntəb ə l/ ADJ A problem that is insurmountable is so great that it cannot be dealt with successfully. □ The crisis doesn't seem like an insurmountable problem.