What does "safe" mean?
A box, usually made of metal, in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping.
Safe
/seɪf/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A box, usually made of metal, in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping.
- Grammar: safe is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: protected, secure, acceptable, accessible energy storage.
- Useful contrasts: adventurous, rickety, unsafe.
- Usage evidence: Your secret will be safe with me.
How to use "safe"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "safe" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "safe" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "safe" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "safe" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "safe" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "protected" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "safe", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A box, usually made of metal, in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping.
"The small-timers, as he put it, kept their currency in their homes, in safes, in false ceilings, under beds. When necessary, our tax people know where to look. The big-timers, however, use Swiss banks."
- 2 contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse wordnet
- 3 A condom. slang
"Condoms ARE available, on the underground market, at the outrageous price of ten dollars a piece! Now, I do not mind paying ten bucks for a good piece, as well as some peace of mind, but even the mere possession of these 'safes' is a disciplinary offense!"
- 4 strongbox where valuables can be safely kept wordnet
- 5 A ventilated or refrigerated chest or closet for securing provisions from noxious animals or insects. dated
"The other room was a kitchen, with an open fireplace, a safe, a dresser and a tin sink, with a tap from the tank outside."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a ventilated or refrigerated cupboard for securing provisions from pests wordnet
- 7 A safety bicycle. colloquial, dated
Verb
- 1 To make something safe. transitive
"“It just trails behind the pylon until I land, then Cramer removes it when he safes the rocket pods. No evidence of anything when I taxi back inside the compound.”"
Adjective
- 1 Not in danger; out of harm's reach.
"You’ll be safe from the storm here in the cabin."
- 2 Free from risk.
"It’s safe to eat this berry."
- 3 Providing protection from danger; providing shelter.
"We have to find a safe spot, where we can hide out until this is over."
- 4 When a batter successfully reaches first base, or when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base or returns to the base he last occupied; not out.
"The pitcher attempted to pick off the runner at first, but he was safe."
- 5 In a location that renders it difficult to pot.
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Properly secured.
"The documents are safe inside the cabbinet."
- 7 Not susceptible to a specified source of harm.
"dishwasher-safe"
- 8 Great, cool, awesome, respectable; a term of approbation, often as interjection. UK, slang
"and you also forgot to mentioned^([sic]) the wheels man you know bmw playing / ragga jungle hip hop tunes / and on the mobile / yeah safe! / nice one / later"
- 9 Supported by evidence and unlikely to be overturned. Usually used in the negative, as unsafe. UK
"It is clear that this is not a safe conviction."
- 10 Lenient, usually describing a teacher that is easy-going. slang
- 11 Reliable; trusty.
"safe food"
- 12 Certain; sure.
""[…] so if you think he is at the infirmary, I'll make my way there." "He's safe to be there, my lad, because he's house surgeon to the infirmary, and they do say he's a very clever one.""
- 13 Cautious.
- 14 Of a programming language, type-safe or more generally offering well-defined behavior despite programming errors.
Adjective
- 1 (of an undertaking) secure from risk wordnet
- 2 free from danger or the risk of harm wordnet
- 3 having reached a base without being put out wordnet
- 4 financially safe wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 An unincorporated community in Maries County, Missouri, United States.
- 2 Acronym of Security Action for Europe. European-Union, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
"EU countries have in principle agreed on the proposals for a 150 billion euro ($168.3 billion) fund aimed at boosting Europe's defence, known as Security Action for Europe (SAFE), an EU diplomat said on Monday."
- 3 Acronym of State Administration of Foreign Exchange. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
"Direct investment liabilities, a measure of FDI reflected in a country’s balance of payments, fell to just $4.9 billion in the April to June months, down 87% from a year earlier, according to data published by SAFE last month. That was the lowest amount in any quarter since records began in 1998."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Your secret will be safe with me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "safe"?
Common synonyms include: protected, secure, acceptable, accessible energy storage, all right, allowable.
How do you use "safe" in a sentence?
Your secret will be safe with me.
How do you pronounce "safe"?
Pronounced /seɪf/.
Etymology
From Middle English sauf, safe, saf, saaf, from Old French sauf, saulf, salf (“safe”), from Latin salvus (“whole, safe”), from Proto-Italic *salwos, from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole, every”). Displaced native Old English sicor (secure, sure).