# safe

/ˈseɪf/ (US) · /sˈeɪf/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/safe
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. not in danger

adjective · CEFR A2

not in danger or likely to be hurt.

For teachers: free from danger, injury, or the threat of harm.

- The children are safe inside the house while it rains outside.
- The rescue team confirmed that all hikers were safe and accounted for after the storm passed through the valley.

### 2. free from risk

adjective · CEFR B1

not likely to cause any trouble, mistakes, or loss.

For teachers: involving little or no risk of failure, error, or financial loss.

- Putting your money in a bank is usually a safe investment.
- The board decided that a conservative expansion strategy was the safe choice given the current volatility of the global market.

### 3. cautious

adjective · CEFR B2

avoiding danger or not taking any chances.

For teachers: characterised by caution and a desire to avoid unnecessary risks.

- It is better to be safe than sorry when driving in the snow.
- The manager took a safe approach to the negotiations, refusing to commit to any long-term contracts until the budget was finalised.

### 4. cool or okay

adjective · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang

used to say that something is good, cool, or that you agree.

For teachers: used as a term of approbation or to indicate that a situation is acceptable.

- Don't worry about the money, it's safe.
- He's a safe guy, you can trust him to help us out with the move.

Teaching tip: Common in Multicultural London English (MLE); learners should be aware it sounds very informal and regional.

### 5. programming

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

a way of writing computer code that prevents common errors.

For teachers: referring to a programming language or operation that prevents certain types of memory or logic errors.

- Rust is known for being a memory-safe language.
- The developer prioritised thread-safe operations to ensure the application would not crash under heavy concurrent loads.

### 6. locking box

noun · CEFR B1

a strong metal box with a lock used for keeping money or valuable things.

For teachers: a reinforced container, typically made of steel, equipped with a complex lock for the secure storage of valuables.

- The hotel room has a small safe for your passport and cash.
- The burglars were unable to crack the heavy safe, despite having several hours to work on the combination lock.

## Examples

- He keeps his passport in a small safe under the bed.
- The hotel provides a digital safe in every room so guests can secure their electronics and cash while they are out.
- The bank's primary vault contains hundreds of individual safes, each requiring two separate keys to open, ensuring that no single employee can access the contents alone.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.