safe space

noun

: a place (as on a college campus) intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations

… student volunteers put up posters advertising that a "safe space" would be available for anyone who found the debate too upsetting.

—Judith Shulevitz

Women, sexual assault victims, people of color, transgender students. College campuses have created "safe spaces" for all sorts of marginalized groups.

—Catherine Rampell

Examples of safe space in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Events like drag shows, karaoke, and trivia add to the town’s nightlife in a fun, interactive, and safe space. —Morgan Rizzo, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2026

Providing lots of cover in your yard will give owls a safe space to sleep. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026

Suddenly, your living room isn't just four walls and a couch, but it's turned into your safe space after a long, hard day. —Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026

Persian restaurants also provide a safe space for Iranians to connect with others within the diaspora. —Angela Osorio, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for safe space

• aerospace
• anatase
• anyplace
• commonplace
• cyberspace
• database
• diabase
• diastase
• dnase
• elastase
• fireplace
• hyperspace