# safe

Pronunciation: say "SAYF" /seɪf/

## Adjective

1. Not likely to cause harm or loss, or giving protection from it, as a place or shelter does.
   - Simple: Not dangerous or risky, or keeping people protected from harm, like a safe place.
   - _Government bonds are considered a safe investment._
   - _The surgeon assured them the procedure was completely safe._
2. Free from danger and out of reach of harm, or not at risk from a particular danger.
   - Simple: Not in danger, or protected from a particular danger.
   - _The hikers were finally safe after the rescue team reached them._
   - _All passengers were reported safe after the emergency landing._
4. Certain; sure to happen, succeed, or be correct.
   - Simple: Sure to happen or sure to be true.
   - _Given how often the trains run late, it's a safe bet we'll miss the first few minutes of the show._
   - _The district has elected the same party for fifty years, so both sides treat it as a safe seat._
5. Cautious in manner or judgment; inclined to avoid risk.
   - Simple: Careful in the way you act, and not taking risks.
   - _She's a safe investor who keeps most of her savings in bonds._
   - _My grandfather is a slow, safe driver who never takes chances on the highway._
6. Reliable; able to be trusted or depended on.
   - Simple: Easy to trust and not likely to fail you.
   - _She's regarded as a safe pair of hands during difficult negotiations._
   - _The almanac proved a safe guide to the planting seasons year after year._
8. In baseball, having successfully reached or returned to a base without being put out.
   - Simple: In baseball, having reached a base before the other team can get you out.
   - _The throw to first arrived late, and the batter was safe._
   - _He dove back to the bag and was called safe on the pickoff attempt._
9. Properly secured; firmly fastened in place.
   - Simple: Firmly fixed or fastened so it will not come loose, open, or fall.
11. Great, cool, or awesome; an expression of approval, often used on its own as an exclamation. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: Very good or cool. People also say it alone to agree or show approval.
   - _The new track from that London crew is safe, everyone at school agrees._
   - _'Cheers for sorting the tickets.' 'Safe, bruv.'_
13. Of a verdict or conviction: supported by the evidence and unlikely to be overturned; most often encountered in the negative, as unsafe. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Strongly supported by evidence, so a court will probably not change the decision.
   - _The Court of Appeal ruled that the conviction was safe despite the disputed identification evidence._
   - _Fresh DNA results meant the verdict could no longer be regarded as safe._
14. Lenient and easy-going, most often describing a teacher who is relaxed about rules, deadlines, or grading. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Easy on students and not strict about rules or grades.
   - _Mr. Alvarez is safe. He let us retake the quiz twice._
   - _Everyone tries to get into Ms. Ortiz's class because she's so safe: no penalty for late homework, ever._

## Noun

3. A sturdy box, usually made of metal, in which money and other valuables can be locked away for safekeeping.
   - Simple: A strong metal box with a lock for keeping money and important things.
   - _The burglars tried to crack the safe but set off the alarm._
   - _Older safes relied on heavy steel doors and combination locks._
12. A slang term for a condom. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A slang word for a condom, the thin rubber cover used during sex.

## Verb

10. To make something safe, especially by disarming, securing, or shutting it down.
   - Simple: To make something no longer dangerous, for example by switching it off or locking it.
   - _Ground crews safe the rocket before anyone approaches the launch pad._
   - _The bomb squad safed the device and carried it away for analysis._

## Adverb

7. Carefully and without danger; used especially when saying goodbye to someone who is about to drive or travel. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Carefully and without danger. People often say it to someone who is leaving to drive or travel.
   - _Thanks for coming over tonight, and drive safe out there on those icy roads._
   - _She promised her dad she would ride safe and wear her helmet on the long bike trip._

## Noun

15. A ventilated or refrigerated chest or closet used to protect stored food from insects and other animals. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A cabinet with air holes or cooling that keeps food away from insects and mice.
   - _She set the leftover roast in the safe on the back porch to cool overnight._
   - _Flies buzzed at the screened doors of the safe but never got to the butter._
16. A safety bicycle: the design with two equal-sized wheels and a chain drive that replaced the high-wheeled ordinary. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A bicycle with two wheels of the same size: the kind people still ride today.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of a programming language: type-safe, or more generally offering well-defined behavior even when a program contains errors.
- (adjective) Of an object ball in snooker: lying in a position from which it is difficult to pot.

## Origin

This word came through Middle English and Old French from Latin salvus ("whole, safe"), which traces back to Proto-Italic and a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "whole, every." It displaced the Old English word sicor ("secure, sure").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/safe (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).