VocabauraVOCABAURA

safety

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The condition or feeling of being safe.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

sayftee

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈseɪfti

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The condition or feeling of being safe; security; certainty.

  2. mechanics

    A safety lock or safety catch: a mechanism on a weapon or dangerous equipment designed to prevent accidental firing or operation.

  3. A safe place

  4. Preservation from escape; close custody.

  5. sportsbaseball

    A safety squeeze.

verb

  1. transitive

    To secure (a mechanical component, as in aviation) to keep it from becoming detached even under vibration.

  2. To secure a firing pin, as in guns, to keep the gun from firing

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (mechanics) A safety lock or safety catch: a mechanism on a weapon or dangerous equipment designed to prevent accidental firing or operation.

Used this way, safety is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Critical or judgemental
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use safety

  • “Insure the safety of the children.”noun

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “safety”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

safety netfood safetysafety valvesafety factorpublic safetyoccupational safetypersonal safetyproduct safety

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • safety archnounCompound term

    An undecorated arch that is included in order to strengthen or support a construction.

  • safety beltnounCompound term

    Belt attaching you to some object as a restraint in order to prevent you from getting hurt.

  • safety bicyclenounCompound term

    Bicycle that has two wheels of equal size.

  • safety bikenounCompound term

    Bicycle that has two wheels of equal size.

  • safety boltnounCompound term

    A bolt that cannot be moved from outside the door or gate.

  • safety catchnounCompound term

    Guard consisting of a locking device that prevents a weapon from being fired.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to secure (a mechanical component

guard

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “safety” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.