Cool MateMake safe the city vs Secure
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Make safe the city
Top 3,000 (common)
Secure
Top 1,000 (very common)B2verb
Most common: Secure
| Make safe the city | Secure | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //meɪk seɪf ðə ˈsɪti//🇺🇸 //meɪk seɪf ðə ˈsɪti// | 🇬🇧 /["/sɪˈkjʊə(r)/","/sɪˈkjʊəz/","/sɪˈkjʊəd/","/sɪˈkjʊərɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/sɪˈkjʊr/","/sɪˈkjʊrz/","/sɪˈkjʊrd/","/sɪˈkjʊrɪŋ/"]/ |
| Meaning | To protect the city and keep it safe. | To make safe or protect something. |
| Example | The government took steps to make safe the city after the recent attacks. | We need to secure the doors before we leave for the night. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 3,000 (common) | Top 1,000 (very common) |
| CEFR level | - | B2 |
| Part of speech | verb | |
| Collocations | make safe the environment, make safe the public, make safe the neighborhood | easily, safely, eventually, be able to, manage to, fail to, an attempt to secure something, an effort to secure something, be aimed at securing something, firmly, properly, tightly, to, with |
| Antonyms | - | danger, unsecure, risk |
| Common mistakes | Confusing with 'make the city safe' - structure can vary., Using in informal situations - it's formal., Misunderstanding 'make safe' as a verb phrase in isolation. | Confused with 'ensure' - 'ensure' means to make sure something happens., Using 'secured' as an adjective when it should be a verb., Misplacing the emphasis on the second syllable. |
| Usage notes | Typically used in formal contexts, such as emergency response or governmental discourse. It's less common in casual conversation. | Used to indicate making something safe, but can also mean to obtain or achieve something. More common in formal contexts when referring to safety and in neutral situations for obtaining. |
See it in real clips
Frequently asked questions: Make safe the city vs Secure
What's the difference between Make safe the city and Secure?
Make safe the city: To protect the city and keep it safe. Secure: To make safe or protect something.
Which is more common: Make safe the city and Secure?
Secure is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Make safe the city: The government took steps to make safe the city after the recent attacks. Secure: We need to secure the doors before we leave for the night.
Can I use Make safe the city and Secure interchangeably?
Not always. Make safe the city and Secure are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.