safely
Americanadverb
-
without harm or injury.
The travel team has arrived safely and on schedule.
-
without risk or danger.
While we sit safely in our air-conditioned homes complaining, he’s driving across the country working for change.
-
in a way that protects from loss, damage, or harm.
I wanted that piece of paper safely filed away, just in case I needed to look at it again.
-
without likelihood of being wrong; with reasonable assurance.
I think we can safely say that the zoo expects some puma kittens later this year!
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of safely
Explanation
Do something in a careful or cautious way, and you'll do it safely. The most important thing you'll learn in a drivers ed class is to drive safely. "Travel safely!" you might call to a departing friend. You're encouraging them to avoid danger as they make their way home. You can bike safely by wearing a helmet and using hand signals, and use power tools safely by following all the rules and focusing on your work. Safely comes from safe and its Latin root salvus, "uninjured or in good health."
Vocabulary lists containing safely
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.
However, the experiments were conducted in mice, and additional research will be needed to determine how these mechanisms operate in humans and whether they can be safely targeted with treatments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
“There is no production target, financial result or business objective that is more important than ensuring every employee and contractor returns home safely every day,” Oplinger says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Special Order 40 was aimed at reassuring the city’s immigrants that they could safely report a crime or serve as a witness without fear of deportation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"Follow fire and law enforcement directions. Check on neighbors who may need assistance if able to safely do so," Los Angeles County officials said in an emergency warning to residents.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Master Gogolev sat scribbling his poems and sobbing in a corner, where he could safely be ignored.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
