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.
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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.
-
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:
It has also argued that Haiti is safe enough to return to.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
"I feel very confident if we all come together and get a better process in place, we'll be just as, or more safe, but also can certify aircraft far more quickly."
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
In Norway, even smaller-scale operations are deploying high technology to keep their salmon safe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Additional research will be needed to determine whether the approach is safe and effective enough to evaluate in people.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
After that moment, Deadwood was safe for another year: no gaping doors, no risk of a soul being drawn into a realm outside their fate.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
“Twice I found safes outside, just on the side of the curb.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026
They had been stored in acid-free boxes and kept in iron safes.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
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
Givens said he also discovered some jewelry missing from two safes that had been opened during the search.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2024
By now, of course, that treasure had disappeared into the cellar of his house and was carefully locked in the heavy safes that Capricorn had fitted there.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
For example, though people are still killed in avalanches, alert systems have played an essential role in making winter backcountry travel safer for more people.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Rosalía makes these zigzags with every release, choosing to slalom downhill when most of her peers take a straighter, safer path.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The NHS Alliance, which represents health managers, warn difficult decisions lie ahead and maternity services need to be consolidated to support safer care.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
“They learned early that staying in step with the group was safer than being right, and the cost of questioning values and ethics is high,” she said.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
For the moment, David Johnston had a safer job than Swanson.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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
During air raids, Mygal makes Sofiyka a bed in the windowless bathroom, the safest place in their apartment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Bafta Scotland said it had worked with safeguarding and inclusion experts to allow Davidson to take part in its forthcoming ceremony in Glasgow "in the safest way possible for all".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Legalistic debates over federal versus state sovereignty were just the most accessible handles to grab, the safest and most politically suitable ways to talk about alternative national visions.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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