safe house

noun

1. a dwelling or building whose conventional appearance makes it a safe or inconspicuous place for hiding, taking refuge, or carrying on clandestine activities.

safe house

noun

1. a place used secretly by undercover agents, terrorists, etc, as a meeting place or refuge

Word History and Origins

Origin of safe house¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Like John le Carré, he creates his own jargon: safe houses are “coops,” spycraft is “artifice,” freelance agents are “units” and deep-cover moles are “termites.”

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After his exchange for Rudolf Abel—dramatized in Steven Spielberg’s 2015 film Bridge of Spies—Francis Gary Powers was taken directly to a CIA safe house in rural Maryland and grilled for days on end.

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Hakan, not his real name, is now living in a safe house in north-east England but was enslaved for a decade, experiencing regular beatings and abuse.

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The victim was unharmed but has now been moved to a safe house.

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She also tweeted that “the suspect escaped into the Antifa safe house.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times