2 meanings
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1 —as in:
insulate the attic
Definition
to separate two things to prevent passage of something such as heat, cold, noise, or electricity — often by covering one of the things with a material- We had his bedroom insulated before winter came.
insulated = added material to reduce heat transfer
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- A piece of ice fell and damaged the space shuttle's insulating tiles.
- One time when a neighbor's TV set broke, Dad opened the back and used a macaroni noodle to insulate some crossed wires.Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle
- Alex's cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated.Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
- In the center of the yard there was a lake of debris, vast and deep: leaking car batteries, tangles of insulated copper wire, abandoned transmissions, rusted sheets of corrugated tin, antique faucets, smashed radiators, serrated lengths of luminous brass pipe, and on and on.Tara Westover -- Educated
- ...a pair of insulated flight pants of the type sold in military-surplus stores;Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
- It appears that McCandless was saving them to insulate his clothing or perhaps to make a feather pillow.Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
- Four or five electric space heaters blasted away. Mom explained that Dad had hooked up every squat in the building to an insulated cable he'd hot-wired off a utility pole down the block.Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle
insulating = preventing heat transfer
insulate = separate (to prevent passage of electricity)
insulated = layered to keep warm
insulated = wrapped so electricity will only flow along the wire
insulated = layered to keep warm
insulate = create layers for warmth
insulated = wrapped to prevent electrocution
2 —as in:
insulate her from
Definition
to separate someone or something from influences thought to be harmful- They home schooled their young children to insulate them a little longer from what they consider to be a crass society.
insulate = separate (from influences thought to be harmful)
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Supreme Court justices are appointed for life to try to insulate them from outside pressure.
- Brinker, in his accelerating change from absolute to relative virtue, came up with plan after plan, each more insulated from the fighting than the last.John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
- Instead of living in concert with the land, instead of relying on the country for sustenance as the natives did, he attempted to insulate himself from the northern environment with ill-suited military tools and traditions.Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
- I must have been entering a mild state of shock. Insulated by this, I took off my clothes and started to climb the pegs.John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
insulate = separate
insulated = separated
insulate = separate (from harm)
insulated = separated from an influence thought to be harmful