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Glite Dictionary
to unlock safe

to unlock safe

1 3.2
Open a strong box that holds money or jewelry by releasing its lock
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : abrir la caja fuerte
  • INT. VEGAS BANK VAULT - MORNING: A bank employee is helping GINGER unlock a safe deposit box.

Examples

  • Make sure you enter the correct code to unlock the safe without any issues.

  • After a long day, she finally managed to unlock the safe and retrieve her important documents.

  • INT. LOOMIS'S CABIN - NIGHT (SAME) Wynn watches with rapt attention as Loomis unlocks his safe and withdraws a metal case.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • He had to find the right key in order to unlock the safe that housed his grandmother's jewelry.

Synonyms

to unlock
vsto unlock safe
212 1.0

To open a lock using a key or code

is specifically used for opening strong containers that hold valuables
to lock pick
vsto unlock safe
2 7.7

To open a lock without a key by using tools

is about releasing a strong container's lock rather than bypassing it without a key
to safecrack
vsto unlock safe
9.1

To open a locked safe without a key, usually illegally

is neutral about method and does not imply illegal action
to picklock
vsto unlock safe
  • NSFW
8.8

To open a lock without a key using a small metal tool

focuses on opening a strong container rather than bypassing the locking mechanism

How Forceful

to blast
137 4.9
to pry
76 4.4
to unlock safe
1 3.2
to open
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

unlock safe infinitive
unlocked safe past
unlocked safe past participle
unlocking safe present participle
unlocks safe third person singular

Morphology

unlock + safe

The meaning 'to open a strong container by releasing its lock' is directly and transparently composed from 'unlock' (to restore access to a locked object) and 'safe' (a locked box for valuables). This literal verb + object composition is cross-linguistically common and immediately predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Unlock safe comes from the simple image of opening a locked strong box. To unlock a safe you use a key or a code to free the lock and reach money or important items, so it means 'to open a strong, locked container'.