safety

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Secure condition

Nouns

1. safety, safeness, security, surety, assurance; impregnability, invulnerability, invulnerableness; escape, safety valve; safeguard, passport, safe conduct; confidence (see hope).

2. (protection) guardianship, wardship, wardenship; tutelage, [protective] custody, safekeeping; preservation, protection, auspices, egis.

3. protector, guardian; keeper, warden, warder; preserver, custodian; duenna, chaperon; escort, convoy; guard, shield (see defense); guardian angel, tutelary saint; watchman, company or yard bull; mother, father; janitor, sentinel, sentry, ranger, scout (see warning); garrison, watchdog; Cerberus, doorman, doorkeeper. Slang, rentacop, shamus.

4. policeman or -woman, patrolman or -woman, officer; peace officer, traffic or motorcycle officer; constable, sheriff, deputy, state trooper; detective, plainclothesman; mountie, gendarme, bobby; police or riot squad, SWAT [team], special weapons attack team; shore patrol. Informal, long arm of the law. Slang, cop, copess, copper, bluecoat, heat, flatfoot, dick, Mountie, bull, bear, flic, Smokey [the bear], fuzz, pig, the Man, nark, Fed, fink, jack, fly, goon squad, gumshoe, snatcher, lard, leather-head, lobster, pavement-pounder, pork, roach, Sam and Dave; peeper; choirboy.

5. (police procedures) all-points bulletin, APB, citizen's arrest, false arrest, dragnet, crackdown, manhunt, posse, search and seizure, frisk, search warrant, stakeout, sweep; forensics, fingerprinting, ballistics, crime lab, detection, detention; lie detector, polygraph, lineup, Miranda rule, moulage, mug shot, voiceprint; handcuffs (see restraint).

6. life preserver, personal flotation device, lifeline; fender, bumper, buffer; safety zone, island, etc. Informal, security blanket.

7. refuge, asylum, sanctuary; hideout, hideaway; haven, hospice, shelter, safe harbor; safe house; any port in a storm; last resort; anchor[age]; home, hospital; retreat, den, lair; precaution (see preparation); quarantine, cordon sanitaire; police station, precinct [house]; police or squad car. Informal, paddy wagon. Slang, pig heaven; pigmobile, roller.

Verbs

1. be safe; ride out or weather the storm; land upon one's feet; bear or live a charmed life; fall back on; escape. Informal, be over the hump. Slang, save one's bacon.

2. safeguard, protect; take care or charge of (see care); preserve, cover, screen, shelter, shroud, flank, ward; ensure; guard (see defense); escort, convoy, ride herd on; garrison; stand over, watch, mount guard, patrol; take precautions (see preparation); take shelter or refuge. Slang, hole up, cover one's ass or tail.

Adjectives

1. safe, secure; in safety or security; on the safe side; under the shield or aegis of; under the wing of; under cover, under lock and key; out of danger, out of harm's way; on sure ground, at anchor, high and dry, above water; unthreatened, unmolested; protected; safe and sound; scatheless, unscathed; out of danger, in the clear.

2. snug, seaworthy; weatherproof, waterproof, fireproof, bulletproof, bombproof; defensible, tenable, proof (against), invulnerable; unassailable, unattackable, impregnable, inexpugnable.

3. harmless (see good); not dangerous; protecting, guardian, tutelary, custodial; preservative; trustworthy.

Adverbs — safely, with safety, with impunity, without risk.

Phrases — the Mounties always get their man; Heaven protects children, sailors, and drunken men; a barking dog never bites; better [be] safe than sorry; he who fights and runs away may live to fight another day.

Quotations — All the security around the American president is just to make sure the man who shoots him gets caught (Norman Mailer), The policeman's lot is not a happy one (W. S. Gilbert).

Antonyms, see danger.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Freedom from danger]

Syn. security, protection, impregnability, surety, sanctuary, refuge, shelter, invulnerability.

2. [*A lock]

Syn. lock mechanism, safetycatch, safety lock; see fastener , lock 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

security, protection, shelter, invulnerability, sanctuary, refuge, safe haven, safe harbor, immunity.

ANT.: danger, hazard, peril

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun The quality or state of being safe: assurance, safeness, security. See SAFETY.