| English Dictionary |
SAFE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does safe mean?
• SAFE (noun)
The noun SAFE has 3 senses:
1. strongbox where valuables can be safely kept
2. a ventilated or refrigerated cupboard for securing provisions from pests
3. contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse
Familiarity information: SAFE used as a noun is uncommon.
• SAFE (adjective)
The adjective SAFE has 4 senses:
1. free from danger or the risk of harm
2. (of an undertaking) secure from risk
3. having reached a base without being put out
4. financially safe
Familiarity information: SAFE used as an adjective is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Strongbox where valuables can be safely kept
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("safe" is a kind of...):
deedbox; strongbox (a strongly made box for holding money or valuables; can be locked)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A ventilated or refrigerated cupboard for securing provisions from pests
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("safe" is a kind of...):
closet; cupboard (a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "safe"):
meat safe (a safe for storing meat)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
condom; prophylactic; rubber; safe; safety
Hypernyms ("safe" is a kind of...):
birth control device; contraceptive; contraceptive device; preventative; preventive; prophylactic device (an agent or device intended to prevent conception)
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: safest
Sense 1
Meaning:
Free from danger or the risk of harm
Context example:
a safe bet
Similar:
fail-safe (eliminating danger by compensating automatically for a failure or malfunction)
off the hook (freed from danger or blame or obligation)
risk-free; riskless; unhazardous (thought to be devoid of risk)
safe and sound; unhurt (free from danger or injury)
Also:
harmless (not causing or capable of causing harm)
uninjured (not injured physically or mentally)
secure (free from danger or risk)
invulnerable (immune to attack; impregnable)
Antonym:
dangerous (involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm)
Derivation:
safeness (the quality of being safe)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(of an undertaking) secure from risk
Similar:
unadventurous (lacking in boldness)
Derivation:
safeness (the quality of being safe)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Having reached a base without being put out
Context example:
the runner was called safe when the baseman dropped the ball
Domain category:
ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)
Antonym:
out (not allowed to continue to bat or run)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Financially safe
Synonyms:
dependable; good; safe; secure
Context example:
a secure investment
Similar:
sound (financially secure and safe)
Derivation:
safeness (the quality of being safe)
Context examples
I shall be glad so to do, sir, if you, in your turn, will promise that I and Adele shall be both safe out of the house before your bride enters it.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
As parents, we want to keep our children safe from harm.
(Child Safety, NIH)
A part of the clinical research process that answers specific questions about whether treatments that are being studied work and are safe.
(Clinical trial phase, NCI Dictionary)
To be safe, doctors remove polyps and test them.
(Colonic Polyps, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases)
However, researchers do not know how safe many CAM treatments are or how well they work.
(Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NIH: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
Keep them safe, for there is in them much of treasure.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
Children's healthy development depends on safe and positive experiences when they are very young.
(Child Care, NIH)
Here he is, safe and sound behind me.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Cancer itself rarely harms the baby, and some cancer treatments are safe during pregnancy.
(Cancer and Pregnancy, NIH)
I examined the contents of the safe, most of which had been taken out and left on the table.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"If a child does not cry, his mother will not breast feed him." (Albanian proverb)
"If you can't reward then you should thank." (Arabic proverb)
"Many small creeks make a big river." (Danish proverb)