Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To prevent the passage of heat, electricity, or sound into or out of, especially by surrounding or covering with a nonconducting material.
  • transitive verb To cause to be in a detached or isolated position. synonym: isolate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make an island of (a place) by surrounding it with water.
  • To place in an isolated situation or condition; set apart from immediate contact or association with others; detach; segregate.
  • In electricity and thermotics, to separate, as an electrified or heated body, from other bodies by the interposition of a non-conductor; more specifically, in the case of electricity, to separate from the earth (since an electrified body tends to part with its electricity to the earth).
  • In chem., to free from combination with other substances.
  • In entomology, detached from other parts or marks of the same kind.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To make an island of.
  • transitive verb To place in a detached situation, or in a state having no communication with surrounding objects; to isolate; to separate.
  • transitive verb (Elec. & Thermotics) To prevent the transfer of electricity or heat to or from (bodies) by the interposition of nonconductors.
  • transitive verb (Elec.) a stool with legs of glass or some other nonconductor of electricity, used for insulating a person or any object placed upon it.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To separate, detach, or isolate.
  • verb To separate a body or material from others, eg. by non-conductors to prevent the transfer of electricity, heat, etc.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb protect from heat, cold, or noise by surrounding with insulating material
  • verb place or set apart

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin īnsula, island + –ate.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Late Latin insulatus ("made like an island"), past participle of insulare ("to make like an island"), from insula ("island"); see insular.

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Examples

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • I suppose I could also consider installing a suspended ceiling inside to help insulate from the radiant heat from the slab, but that wouldn't be my preferred option if I can avoid it.

    Insulating a concrete roof? 2006

  • The idea that 12-year terms insulate Regents from political winds should be recognized as fantasy.

    The Berkeley Daily Planet, The East Bay's Independent Newspaper By Matthew Taylor 2008

Comments

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  • It is necessary to insulate a wire with a rubber tube.

    March 14, 2007

  • To cause to be in a detached or isolated position. See Synonyms at isolate.

    v. To prevent the passage of heat, electricity, or sound into or out of, especially by surrounding with a nonconducting material.

    August 31, 2013