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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
insulate
verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
insulating tape
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
well
▪ A closed window would also prevent the sound from carrying since most buildings tend to be well insulated.
▪ If the cylinder is well insulated, advantage can be taken of the cheaper Economy 7 tariff.
▪ The present national currencies are mutually well insulated.
▪ What you get is a textile that is water resistant and well insulated.
■ NOUN
loft
▪ Since we now insulate above loft ceilings and within flat roof structures, the air space above the insulation is cold.
▪ Glass fibre quilts can also be used to insulate loft rooms, where extremes of temperature can make living conditions very uncomfortable.
▪ Gee, there must be enough here to buy say, a cup of tea ... or insulate the loft.
▪ First Floor Stained wood staircase rises to Landing: Access to insulate loft space with folding loft ladder.
▪ Suppose you're decorating the living-room, insulating the loft, or knocking two rooms into one.
▪ When insulating the loft floor, bring the ends of the blanket up against the sides of the cistern to give continuity.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
insulated containers for cold drinks
▪ She spent $10,000 insulating her home to try to keep the highway noise out.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Insulate

Insulate \In"su*late\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Insulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Insulating.] [L. insulatus insulated, fr. insula island. See Isle, and cf. Isolate.]

  1. To make an island of. [Obs.]
    --Pennant.

  2. To place in a detached situation, or in a state having no communication with surrounding objects; to isolate; to separate.

  3. (Elec. & Thermotics) To prevent the transfer of electricity or heat to or from (bodies) by the interposition of nonconductors.

    Insulating stool (Elec.), a stool with legs of glass or some other nonconductor of electricity, used for insulating a person or any object placed upon it.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
insulate

1530s, "make into an island," from Latin insulatus, from insula (see insular). Sense of "cause a person or thing to be detached from surroundings" is from 1785. Electrical/chemical sense of "block from electricity or heat" is from 1742. Related: Insulated; insulating.

Wiktionary
insulate

vb. 1 To separate, detach, or isolate. 2 To separate a body or material from others, e.g. by non-conductors to prevent the transfer of electricity, heat, etc.

WordNet
insulate
  1. v. protect from heat, cold, noise, etc. by surrounding with insulating material; "We had his bedroom insulated before winter came"

  2. place or set apart; "They isolated the political prisoners from the other inmates" [syn: isolate]

Usage examples of "insulate".

The birdcage still looks shrink-wrapped under a layer of silver insulating foil, and teardrop-shapes are bustling about it, inside and out.

A second wineglass sat near a bottle of Chardonnay in an insulated cooler.

Within minutes the vortex mirror was fitted into its insulated clamps, its alignment checked.

There was also, incongruously enough, a very ordinary old-fashioned wooden coatrack, with a bright orange insulated coverall hanging from it, and a bright red parka hanging next to it.

He had shortbread cookies, ice cream, and frosting-slathered Chocolate Emergency Cookies, plus an insulated coffeepot and cream and sugar containers.

A piece of insulated wire from a dangling droplight made a quick connection between the alarm key in the back of the clock and one of the light fuses.

Scobie dropped the meter of heavy-gauge insulated wire which was standard issue on extravehicular missions, in case you needed to make a special electrical connection or a repair.

She had heated some prepared dinners and carried them to the flybridge in an insulated pouch.

With the right machines, we can transform the Heaviside Layer into a shield that will perfectly insulate this planet against the cosmic cloud.

I saw that under the mask of these half humorous innuendoes, this old seaman, as an insulated Quakerish Nantucketer, was full of his insular prejudices, and rather distrustful of all aliens, unless they hailed from Cape Cod or the Vineyard.

To insulate the human body from extreme temperatures ranging from -250 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and to maintain pressure against the vacuum of space, the suit was constructed of multiple layers of aluminized Mylar insulation, nylon ripstop, an Ortho-fabric cover, and a pressure-garment bladder.

Well insulated and heated by several fires, lamps, and natural body heat, it was warm in the semisubterranean longhouse.

Even the rubber insulating coatings of the sparkplug and other wires were left behind, but the metal wires themselves had been pulled right out.

He raised one hand to the insulated starstone at his throat, although he feared he could not control so many by himself.

She had lived her whole life insulated from such things, only knowing at a distance that civilization existed, and that rich stations maintained luxury at their secret hearts.