safe-deposit

American

[sayf-di-poz-it] / ˈseɪf dɪˌpɒz ɪt /

adjective

providing safekeeping for valuables.

a safe-deposit vault.

safe-deposit British

noun

1. a place or building with facilities for the safe storage of money or valuables
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a safe-deposit box

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of safe-deposit

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

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:

safe-deposit

Will we receive the contents of her safe-deposit box when she dies?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

In downtown Buenos Aires, the steel-enforced vault of Ingot, a company that rents out thousands of safe-deposit boxes, serves as a bellwether for confidence in the government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued its rebuke of the FBI on Jan. 23, holding that the agency violated the Fourth Amendment by breaking into the individual safe-deposit boxes.

From Slate ● Feb. 7, 2024

Don’t put the will or other important documents in a safe-deposit box.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 20, 2022

It opens a safe-deposit box at our bank.

From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023