safe
Americanadjective
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secure from liability to harm, injury, danger, or risk.
a safe place.
- Synonyms:
- guarded, invulnerable
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free from hurt, injury, danger, or risk.
to arrive safe and sound.
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involving little or no risk of mishap, error, etc..
a safe estimate.
-
dependable or trustworthy.
a safe guide.
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careful to avoid danger or controversy.
a safe player; a safe play.
-
denied the chance to do harm; in secure custody.
a criminal safe in jail.
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Baseball.
-
reaching base without being put out.
safe on the throw to first base.
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making it possible to reach a base.
a safe slide.
-
adverb
noun
-
a steel or iron box or repository for money, jewels, papers, etc.
- Synonyms:
- safe-deposit box, chest, coffer, strongbox
-
any receptacle or structure for the storage or preservation of articles.
a meat safe.
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(in plumbing)
-
a pan for catching leakage.
-
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Slang. a condom.
idioms
adjective
-
affording security or protection from harm
a safe place
-
(postpositive) free from danger
you'll be safe here
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secure from risk; certain; sound
a safe investment
a safe bet
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worthy of trust; prudent
a safe companion
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tending to avoid controversy or risk
a safe player
-
unable to do harm; not dangerous
a criminal safe behind bars
water safe to drink
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informal excellent
-
as a precaution
adverb
-
in a safe condition
the children are safe in bed now
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to act in a way least likely to cause danger, controversy, or defeat
noun
-
a strong container, usually of metal and provided with a secure lock, for storing money or valuables
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a small ventilated cupboard-like container for storing food
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a slang word for condom
Usage
What is a basic definition of safe? Safe describes something that is secure from harm or danger. Safe can also refer to something that is free from danger and is not risky. Safe is a secure object that is used to keep valuables in. Safe has several other senses as an adjective, noun, and adverb.Safe means that something or someone is secured. If you’re safe, you don’t have to worry about getting hurt or being at risk. The word safety means something is intended to help avoid risk or the state of not being at risk.Real-life examples: Babies are usually kept in cribs or limited to certain parts of a house so that they will be kept safe and won’t wander into danger. Eggs are kept in special containers designed to keep them safe from cracking. Athletes often wear equipment such as helmets that keep their sensitive body parts safe (or safer) from injury.Used in a sentence: The scared child felt safe with their father and mother. Safe also means something or someone avoided danger or managed to come through an event unhurt. This sense is often used in the phrase safe and sound.Real-life examples: Firefighters, police, and paramedics won’t relax or leave a scene until they know everyone is safe. Family members of people stuck in a dangerous situation hope they will be safe.Used in a sentence: Somehow, Ebony made it out safe and sound after falling into the lion exhibit. Safe can also mean that something is not risky or is unlikely to be wrong.Real-life examples: In gambling, safe bets usually have low prizes. Companies that are already very successful and financially secure are usually considered safe investments. It is a safe guess to say it will rain if you already see thunderclouds and lightning.Used in a sentence: We took the safe way home by walking together on brightly lit streets. A safe is a secure box or similar object that is designed to protect valuables from being stolen or damaged.Real-life examples: Banks and stores often keep cash locked in a safe. You might keep your cherished things in a small safe that has a lock and key.Used in a sentence: Jadyn keeps his gold coins in an iron safe hidden behind a painting on the wall.
Related Words
Safe, secure can both imply that something can be regarded as free from danger. These words are frequently interchangeable. Safe, however, is applied rather to a person or thing that is out of or has passed beyond the reach of danger: The ship is safe in port. Secure is applied to that about which there is no need to fear or worry: to feel secure about the future; The foundation of the house does not seem very secure.
Other Word Forms
- quasi-safe adjective
- safely adverb
- safeness noun
- supersafe adjective
- supersafeness noun
- ultrasafe adjective
- unsafe adjective
- unsafeness noun
Etymology
Origin of safe
First recorded in 1250–1300; (adjective) Middle English sauf, saf from Anglo-French saf, Old French sauf from Latin salvus “intact, whole”; (noun) late Middle English save, originally derivative of save 1, assimilated to the adjective; salvation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance, who chaired the meeting, said afterwards that "difficult conditions" were expected to remain this week, and she urged people to follow advice on staying safe.
From BBC
Measuring per capita, it was the city’s safest year since 1959.
From Los Angeles Times
The proposed learning period "is all about supporting young drivers to develop the confidence they need to stay safe and giving them more time to build their skills and gain experience in different driving conditions".
From BBC
Companies make decade-long bets on facilities, cold-chain infrastructure and next-generation platforms based on the assumption that if a product is safe, effective and cost-effective, public health agencies will consistently support its use.
From MarketWatch
“Maybe as I grow older and have children, I feel this need to go back to something that’s familiar and safe,” she suggests.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
