VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

safe and sound

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌseɪf ən ˈsaʊnd/
US/ˌseɪf ən ˈsaʊnd/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrase

    Completely unhurt and out of danger, especially after a risky trip or a time of worry.

    Grammar: Used after verbs like be, arrive, return, or get: they arrived safe and sound.

    Patterns

    • arrive safe and sound
    • return safe and sound
    • keep someone safe and sound

    The hikers came back safe and sound after two nights in the storm.

    Text me when you land so I know you got there safe and sound.

    The lost cat turned up safe and sound at the neighbor's house.

  2. phrasefixed phrase

    Well protected and in good condition, as of something stored or guarded.

    Grammar: Usually follows keep or hold when talking about objects: keep it safe and sound.

    Patterns

    • keep something safe and sound

    The documents are locked in the vault, safe and sound.

    I kept your letters safe and sound in a tin box.

    The old violin survived the move safe and sound.

Common combinations

arrive safe and sound
The package arrived safe and sound after a week.
return safe and sound
The soldiers all returned safe and sound.
get home safe and sound
Call me when you get home safe and sound.
keep safe and sound
Parents want to keep their children safe and sound.
found safe and sound
The missing hiker was found safe and sound.

Synonyms and how they differ

unharmed
Unharmed is a single plain word and sounds more official, while safe and sound adds a warm sense of relief.
unscathed
Unscathed stresses having escaped without injury from something harmful, while safe and sound also suggests being secure.
in one piece
In one piece is informal and often joking, implying the trip could have gone badly.
secure
Secure describes a state of protection but without the sense of having come through danger.

Opposites

in dangerinjured

Word family

safe adjective
free from danger or harm
safely adverb
without harm or risk
safety noun
the state of being protected from harm
sound adjective
in good condition, healthy and solid
soundly adverb
deeply or thoroughly, as in sleeping soundly

Commonly confused: safe and sound or safe and secure? safe and sound or sound asleep?

safe and sound vs safe and secure

Safe and secure stresses protection from future harm, while safe and sound usually describes someone who has come through danger.

safe and sound vs sound asleep

Sound here means deep, as in sound asleep, which is a different sense from the sense of unhurt in safe and sound.

Practice

After the long drive through the storm, the family finally arrived ___.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “safe and sound”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words