safe

Not in danger; out of harm's reach.

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.
    • In fact, in presenting the home life of these people I have been at some pains to avoid the extreme of privation, taking the cases just as they came to hand on the safer middle-ground of average earnings. - 1890, Jacob...
    • When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe...

    Synonyms: riskless harmless

    Antonyms: harmful dangerous

  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.

    Synonyms: secure

  7. Not susceptible to a specified source of harm.
    • dishwasher-safe
  8. Great, cool, awesome, respectable; a term of approbation, often as interjection.
    • 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 - 1996 August 12, "Mandrake", “Re: Multiple Messages - an...
    • Young Mal: Yu can’t. Irie means yer cool, yer safe, everything awright. - 1996 or 1997, Roy Williams, Plays 1: The No Boys Cricket Club / Startstruck / Lift Off, Methuen, published 2002, →ISBN, page 165:
    • “If you need more, just ring, yeah?” Punch said. “Safe,” Brian answered. - 2000, Teddy Hayes, Dead by Popular Demand, Justin, Charles & Co., published 2005, →ISBN, Chapter 14, page 134:

    Synonyms: wicked cool amazing astounding awe-inspiring awesome awful sensational awesomesauce based beatific bewildering blissful celestial delightful divine dope enchanting excellent extraordinary far out fire heavenlike heavenly

  9. Supported by evidence and unlikely to be overturned. Usually used in the negative, as unsafe.
    • It is clear that this is not a safe conviction.
  10. Lenient, usually describing a teacher that is easy-going.

    Synonyms: easygoing merciful tolerant clement forbearing indulgent lax lenient loose-handed permissible permissive relaxed remissful safe soft soft-handed

    Antonyms: strict harsh intolerant

  11. Reliable; trusty.
    • safe food

    Synonyms: trustworthy

  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." - 1883, Emma Raymond Pitman,...
    • "He's safe to be hanged, an' that, all in an' out, when they recovred there senses an' ther tongue, offert to make affidavid on, if they were askt upon oath." - 2023 May 3 [????], William Hamilton Maxwell,...

Origin

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”).

Forms

safer more safe safest most safe

Antonyms

unsafe

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. - 1992, Shashi...

    Synonyms: coffer lockbox strongbox

  2. A condom.
    • 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...
    • She'd better have an arsenal of Trojans in her purse just in case he wasn't carrying a safe in his back pocket. - 1999, Rita Ciresi, Pink Slip, Delta, published 1999, →ISBN, page 328:

    Synonyms: condom cum catcher rubber

  3. A ventilated or refrigerated chest or closet for securing provisions from noxious animals or insects.
    • 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. - 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith,...
  4. A safety bicycle.

Forms

safes

Synonyms

guarded invulnerable OK out of harm's way protected safe and sound secure

Antonyms

dangerous hazardous unsafe

Verb

  1. To make something safe.
    • “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.” - 2007, Rocky Raab, Mike Five Eight: Air War Over...
    • One of the most important events after touchdown will be to safe the Dauntless, which will include purging the engines and shutting down the landing systems […] - 2012, Erik Seedhouse, Interplanetary Outpost:

Forms

safes safing safed

Related

save safety

Derived

better safe than sorry binary safe biosafe childsafe Coolgardie safe covid-safe cybersafe dishwasher safe drop safe ensafe e-safe fail safe fail-safe firesafe French safe gender-safe ice-safe in safe hands is this a safe space keep yourself safe letter of safe conduct match safe meat safe memory-safe