safe
Americanadjective
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secure from liability to harm, injury, danger, or risk.
a safe place.
- Synonyms:
- guarded, invulnerable
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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.
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dependable or trustworthy.
a safe guide.
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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.
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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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a steel or iron box or repository for money, jewels, papers, etc.
- Synonyms:
- safe-deposit box, chest, coffer, strongbox
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any receptacle or structure for the storage or preservation of articles.
a meat safe.
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(in plumbing)
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a pan for catching leakage.
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Slang. a condom.
idioms
adjective
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affording security or protection from harm
a safe place
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(postpositive) free from danger
you'll be safe here
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secure from risk; certain; sound
a safe investment
a safe bet
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worthy of trust; prudent
a safe companion
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tending to avoid controversy or risk
a safe player
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unable to do harm; not dangerous
a criminal safe behind bars
water safe to drink
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informal excellent
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as a precaution
adverb
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in a safe condition
the children are safe in bed now
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to act in a way least likely to cause danger, controversy, or defeat
noun
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a strong container, usually of metal and provided with a secure lock, for storing money or valuables
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a small ventilated cupboard-like container for storing food
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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:
Choosing safe, high-quality charging accessories can extend lifespan of your devices and save you big money on repairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Metrolink spokeswoman Sabrina Davis said the 1858 train experienced mechanical issues around 4:30 p.m. and came to a stop between the Anaheim Canyon and Corona stations, where it was not safe to disembark.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Neil Gray also praised police, land managers and volunteers for "an outstanding job keeping people, property and the natural environment as safe as possible".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
In addition, 12-step support groups such as Debtors Anonymous offer a safe space.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Once upon a time, the path of Joey’s life seemed safe and predictable—wife, mother, devoted and obedient Catholic.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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
But Major League Baseball was bound to have other suitors open their safes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2025
"We have found plenty of safes before," Mr Kane said.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2024
Back in March, investigators searching Combs’ Holmby Hills home emptied safes, dismantled electronics and left papers strewn in some rooms, sources told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2024
Iron spintria safes sit like a stack of blocks beside the door.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Councillor Richard Church, Powys council's cabinet member for a safer Powys, said it was a "deeply sad incident".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
And with “In the Mouth of Madness,” he once again evaluates the price of making great art, but this time from a safer distance.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation wants to make the corridor safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
To be safer in the long run, the court could use not just force but a little help on the judgment front.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
She didn’t know whether they had anything to do with her rescue, but it was safer to be polite.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Rather than asking whether terraforming violates the laws of physics, researchers believe the more important questions are whether humanity should pursue it and what the safest path would look like.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
It is considered the safest option for treating pain and fever in pregnant women, as other medications, including aspirin or ibuprofen, present proven risks to the fetus -- as do untreated fevers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
The safest place for a baby to sleep is on a firm, flat mattress on their back in a clear cot with no toys inside, according to the baby sleep safety charity the Lullaby Trust.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Apart from the dangerously low overnight temperatures, faraway Omsk seemed like the safest place on earth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Shackleton and Worsley had agreed that the safest plan was to get as far north as possible before heading east.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Definitions 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.