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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

safe.

Not in danger; out of harm's reach.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈseɪ̯f/[ˈseɪ̯f]/ˈsæɪ̯f/Australia, New-Zealand[ˈsæ̝ɪ̯f]Australia, New-Zealand
  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.

  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
  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.

  12. Certain; sure.

  13. Cautious.

  14. Of a programming language, type-safe or more generally offering well-defined behavior despite programming errors.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English sauf, safe, saf, saaf, from Old French sauf, saulf, salf (“safe”), from Latin salvus (“whole, safe”), from Proto-Italic *salawos, from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole, every”). Displaced Old English sicor (“secure, sure”).

noun/ˈseɪ̯f/[ˈseɪ̯f]/ˈsæɪ̯f/Australia, New-Zealand[ˈsæ̝ɪ̯f]Australia, New-Zealand
  1. A box, usually made of metal, in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping.

  2. A condom.

    slang
  3. A ventilated or refrigerated chest or closet for securing provisions from noxious animals or insects.

    dated
  4. A safety bicycle.

    colloquial · dated
Where this word comes from

From Middle English sauf, safe, saf, saaf, from Old French sauf, saulf, salf (“safe”), from Latin salvus (“whole, safe”), from Proto-Italic *salawos, from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole, every”). Displaced Old English sicor (“secure, sure”).

verb/ˈseɪ̯f/[ˈseɪ̯f]/ˈsæɪ̯f/Australia, New-Zealand[ˈsæ̝ɪ̯f]Australia, New-Zealand
  1. To make something safe.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English sauf, safe, saf, saaf, from Old French sauf, saulf, salf (“safe”), from Latin salvus (“whole, safe”), from Proto-Italic *salawos, from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole, every”). Displaced Old English sicor (“secure, sure”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.