verb
insulate
IHNS-yuu-layt
verb
1
To cover or surround something with material to stop heat, cold, sound, or electricity from passing through.
"They insulated the attic to cut down on heating bills."
2
To protect someone or something from a harmful or unwanted influence.
"The company tried to insulate itself from market volatility."
How to Use Insulate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo wrap something to block a transfer (heat, sound, electricity), or to shield someone from a bad influence.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "isolate" — insulate is about blocking transfer of energy or effects, isolate is about physical or social separation. They share the same Latin root.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
insulate a house
insulate against
insulated wire
Word Forms
insulated past tense, insulates singular
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They _____ the attic to cut down on heating bills.
Etymology
From Latin insula, "island," plus the -ate suffix — the idea of turning something into its own isolated "island."