What does safekeeping mean?
Safekeeping means the protection, care, and secure keeping of a person or thing. It is commonly used when valuables, records, or important documents are placed somewhere secure, as in 'keep the documents in safekeeping,' and it can also refer to the legal or institutional responsibility of protecting a person or property. The word has a formal, dependable tone: it suggests more than simply holding something and implies that the person or institution concerned is taking care to prevent loss, damage, or harm. Although the phrase often describes physical security, it can equally apply to information, evidence, responsibilities, and vulnerable people. The expression 'for safekeeping' is particularly idiomatic and means 'to keep something safely, often for a temporary or uncertain period.'
nounThe protection and care of someone or something, especially in a place or under a person's responsibility. In legal contexts, it refers to the duty of safeguarding property or another person.
- The protection, care, and preservation of a person or thing.
- The holding or responsibility for safeguarding someone or something, especially in a legal or institutional context.
"The important documents were placed in the safe for safekeeping."
"The museum keeps its collection records in safekeeping."
"A court may order an organization to accept responsibility for the child's safekeeping."
Plural usage is uncommon, but safekeepings can refer to separate acts or instances of protecting or securely keeping something.
"The bank has procedures for the safekeepings of clients' valuables."
Safekeeping literally means keeping something safe, turning protection into a careful, often official responsibility.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does safekeeping come from?
Safekeeping is a compound of the adjective safe and the gerund keeping, both of which are of Germanic origin. The sense of keeping something secure developed from the older idea of 'safe' as a place of protection and 'keeping' as the act of retaining or guarding something. Its legal and institutional meanings are later extensions of the basic idea of entrusted protection.
Related word forms
How safekeeping is actually used
The phrase is common in both formal and informal English, but it often suggests deliberate protection, secure storage, or entrusted responsibility. 'For safekeeping' is especially frequent.
Easily confused with safekeeping
Safety refers to the condition of being safe or protected, whereas safekeeping refers to the act or responsibility of protecting and caring for someone or something.