3 → see also safe
sa fe pa s|sage N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] If someone is given safe passage , they are allowed to go somewhere safely, without being attacked or arrested. □ [+ from/to ] They were unwilling, or unable, to guarantee safe passage from the city to the aircraft.
sa fe sea t (safe seats ) N‑COUNT In politics, a safe seat is an area in which the candidate from one particular party nearly always wins by a large number of votes. [BRIT ] □ The constituency I live in is a safe Labour seat.
sa fe se x also safer sex N‑UNCOUNT Safe sex is sexual activity in which people protect themselves against the risk of AIDS and other diseases, usually by using condoms.
safe|ty ◆◆◇ /se I fti/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Safety is the state of being safe from harm or danger. □ The report goes on to make a number of recommendations to improve safety on aircraft.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft prep N ] If you reach safety , you reach a place where you are safe from danger. □ He stumbled through smoke and fumes given off from her burning sofa to pull her to safety. □ Guests ran for safety as the device went off in a ground-floor men's toilet. □ The refugees were groping their way through the dark, trying to reach safety. □ [+ of ] …the safety of one's own home.
3 N‑SING [with poss] If you are concerned about the safety of something, you are concerned that it might be harmful or dangerous. □ [+ of ] …consumers are showing growing concern about the safety of the food they buy.
4 N‑SING [with poss] If you are concerned for someone's safety , you are concerned that they might be in danger. □ The two youths today declined to testify because they said they feared for their safety.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] Safety features or measures are intended to make something less dangerous. □ The built-in safety device compensates for a fall in water pressure.
6 PHRASE If you say that there is safety in numbers , you mean that you are safer doing something if there are a lot of people doing it rather than doing it alone. □ Many people still feel there is safety in numbers when belonging to a union.
sa fe|ty belt (safety belts ) also safety-belt N‑COUNT A safety belt is a strap attached to a seat in a car or aeroplane. You fasten it round your body and it stops you being thrown forward if there is an accident.
sa fe|ty catch (safety catches ) N‑COUNT The safety catch on a gun is a device that stops you firing the gun accidentally. □ Eddie slipped the safety catch on his automatic back into place.
sa fe|ty glass N‑UNCOUNT Safety glass is very strong glass that does not break into sharp pieces if it is hit.
sa fe|ty net (safety nets )
1 N‑COUNT A safety net is something that you can rely on to help you if you get into a difficult situation. □ [+ for ] Welfare is the only real safety net for low-income workers.
2 N‑COUNT In a circus, a safety net is a large net that is placed below performers on a high wire or trapeze in order to catch them and prevent them being injured if they fall off.
sa fe|ty of|fic|er (safety officers ) N‑COUNT The safety officer in a company or an organization is the person who is responsible for the safety of the people who work or visit there.
sa fe|ty pin (safety pins ) N‑COUNT A safety pin is a bent metal pin used for fastening things together. The point of the pin has a cover so that when the pin is closed it cannot hurt anyone. □ …trousers which were held together with safety pins.
sa fe|ty valve (safety valves )
1 N‑COUNT A safety valve is a device which allows liquids or gases to escape from a machine when the pressure inside it becomes too great. □ Residents heard an enormous bang as a safety valve on the boiler failed.
2 N‑COUNT A safety valve is something that allows you to release strong feelings without hurting yourself or others. □ …crying is a natural safety valve.
sa fe|ty zone (safety zones ) also safety island N‑COUNT A safety zone is a place in the middle of a road crossing where you can wait before you cross the other half of the road. [AM ]
saf|fron /sæ frɒn/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Saffron is a yellowish-orange powder obtained from a flower and used to give flavour and colouring to some foods. □ …saffron rice.
2 COLOUR Saffron is a yellowish-orange colour. □ …a Buddhist in saffron robes.
sag /sæ g/ (sags , sagging , sagged )
1 VERB When something sags , it hangs down loosely or sinks downwards in the middle. □ [V ] The shirt's cuffs won't sag and lose their shape after washing. □ [V -ing] He sat down in the sagging armchair.
2 VERB When part of someone's body begins to sag , it starts to become less firm and hang down. □ [V ] He is heavily built, but beginning to sag.
3 VERB To sag means to become weaker. □ [V ] The pound continued to sag despite four interventions by the Bank of England.
saga /sɑː gə/ (sagas )
1 N‑COUNT A saga is a long story, account, or sequence of events. □ …a 600-page saga about 18th-century slavery. □ [+ of ] …the continuing saga of unexpected failures by leading companies.
2 N‑COUNT A saga is a long story composed in medieval times in Norway or Iceland. □ [+ of ] …a Nordic saga of giants and trolls.
sa|ga|cious /səge I ʃəs/ ADJ A sagacious person is intelligent and has the ability to make good decisions. [FORMAL ] □ …a sagacious leader.
sa|gac|ity /səgæ s I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Sagacity is the quality of being sagacious. [FORMAL ] □ …a man of great sagacity and immense experience.