safe
Americanadjective
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safer,
comparative
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safest
superlative
-
secure from liability to harm, injury, danger, or risk.
a safe place.
- Synonyms:
- guarded, invulnerable
-
free from hurt, injury, danger, or risk.
to arrive safe and sound.
-
involving little or no risk of mishap, error, etc..
a safe estimate.
-
dependable or trustworthy.
a safe guide.
-
careful to avoid danger or controversy.
a safe player; a safe play.
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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.
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adverb
noun
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safes
plural
-
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.
-
(in plumbing)
-
a pan for catching leakage.
-
-
Slang. a condom.
idioms
adjective
-
affording security or protection from harm
a safe place
-
(postpositive) free from danger
you'll be safe here
-
secure from risk; certain; sound
a safe investment
a safe bet
-
worthy of trust; prudent
a safe companion
-
tending to avoid controversy or risk
a safe player
-
unable to do harm; not dangerous
a criminal safe behind bars
water safe to drink
-
informal excellent
-
as a precaution
adverb
-
in a safe condition
the children are safe in bed now
-
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
-
a small ventilated cupboard-like container for storing food
-
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.
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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safenessnoun
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supersafenessnoun
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unsafenessnoun
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quasi-safeadjective
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supersafeadjective
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ultrasafeadjective
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unsafeadjective
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safelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
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; cf. salvation
Explanation
If you're safe, you're out of harm's way, or protected from being hurt. These days most parents strap their small children into car seats to keep them safe. When you protect a person or an object from danger, you keep them safe. Eggs are sold in special cartons so they're safe from cracking, and drivers wear seat belts to keep them safe from being injured in accidents. Cash is kept safe in the bank. In baseball, a player is safe when they touch a base. You can also use safe as a noun, for a special box that keeps money and other valuable items safe.
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.
See Examples For:
Douglas Hogge, a production supervisor in charge of a team responsible for the safe extraction of oil and gas, agrees.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
In a clinical trial led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, the technology proved safe, well tolerated, and practical for patients to use at home.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Vaccines against measles are highly effective and safe.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
Deadly global conflicts have completely disrupted civil aviation, leaving options for safe journeys fewer and farther between.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
‘Go! Now! And don’t come out till it’s safe.’
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Argentina has a history of debasing its currency, which is why its people keep billions of dollars in coffee cans, home safes and mattresses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
We crouch down on the floor in front of a row of safes.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
For weeks, they’ve been scouring their homes and cracking open their safes to retrieve vintage necklaces, family heirlooms and other expensive pieces containing the precious metal that can be melted for cash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
In March, investigators searching Combs’ Holmby Hills mansion emptied safes, dismantled electronics and left papers strewn in some rooms, sources told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
Meggie thought of the safes Dustfinger had talked about, and the gold Mo had brought tumbling into Capricorn’s church.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
That would blow past the historic goal agreed in Paris: keeping warming well below 2C while striving for a safer 1.5C.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Investors fleeing technology stocks in October have found a safer place to hide: consumer stocks of toothpaste and laundry-detergent makers and sellers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Their findings, published in Nature Communications, could guide the development of safer statins that maintain their cholesterol-lowering benefits while minimizing muscle damage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
The director of the NHS Alliance's acute and ambulance network, Matthew Hopkins, said: "Difficult decisions lie ahead, consolidating maternity services to support safer, more sustainable care."
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
“Into the Mediterranean? You’ll be safer in convoy with our fleet.”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
That early robot evaluated just 20 measurement points to determine the safest route ahead.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Stupnikov understood a central paradox of his situation: The safest place for turncoats like him was in Ukraine—close to the troops and country they left behind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez, who took office in May, campaigned on a promise to crack down on the wave of crime sweeping what was once Central America's safest country.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Now, they need to prove they are worth more than a 5% return on one of the world’s safest assets.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
Natalie stood on her desk chair and put the Mariposa boxes up as high as she could on her bookcase, higher up than her laptop, where her memories would be safest from a flood.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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