noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˌɹi.ɪnˈʃʊɹ.əns/
General-American:/ˌɹi.ɪnˈʃɝ.əns/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:R IY2 IH0 N SH UH1 R AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Insurance purchased by insurance companies that spreads the risk associated with selling insurance around so the danger of one large monetary loss is minimized. Such insurance and catastrophe bonds are backstops to insurer insolvency from unexpectedly large losses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: business, insurance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
sharing the risk by insurance companies; part or all of the insurer's risk is assumed by other companies in return for part of the premium paid by the insured
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
reinsurance enables a client to get coverage that would be too great for any one company to assume
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: insurance
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English insurance English reinsurance From re- + insurance.
Across languages
Translations
17 source translations are retained for this English entry.
