safe haven

noun

plural safe havens

1

: a place of safety or refuge

In 1985, the City Council passed a resolution proclaiming the city a safe haven for refugees and prohibiting city employees from asking about individuals' immigration status.

—Mathew Miranda

Over three decades, the sanctuary has become a symbol of hope, working to end the drivers of illegal wildlife trade while providing a safe haven for hundreds of great apes.

—Business Wire

2

: an investment that is expected to retain or increase its value during times of economic downturn or market volatility

Investors seek out safe havens in order to limit their exposure to losses in the event of market downturns. However, assets that are deemed safe havens can vary depending on the specific nature of the down market.

—James Chen

—usually hyphenated when used before another noun

safe-haven assets

Examples of safe haven in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Security forces carried out a ground operation along the border late Sunday, followed by strikes against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said. — Abdul Qahar Afghan, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Pakistani security forces carried out a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late Sunday, followed by strikes against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said. — ABC News, 29 June 2026

Tarar said Pakistan's latest operation along the Afghan border targeted the hideouts and safe havens of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khwarij, a term Pakistan uses for the Pakistani Taliban. — CBS News, 28 June 2026

The decision to completely eliminate gluten from the house stems from her belief that the home should be a safe haven. — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 24 June 2026

Many of the attacks targeted energy infrastructure and commercial sites, causing billions of dollars of economic losses and shattering their image as a safe haven for foreign travel and investment. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

The warning, which came without proof that Hezbollah was operating in the Christian quarter, left residents of the ancient city without any safe haven. — Jane Arraf, NPR, 23 June 2026

The country markets itself as an economic safe haven, with a long track record of regulatory clarity and strong governance. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 19 June 2026

As InvestorPlace noted in February 2026, the theory behind Bitcoin as a safe haven was never wrong on its own terms — currency debasement, de-dollarization, and geopolitical conflict are exactly the conditions the asset was designed to benefit from. — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for safe haven

• riboflavin
• craven
• flavin
• graven
• maven
• pavan
• raven
• shaven
• engraven
• unshaven