1
: incorporating some feature for automatically counteracting the effect of an anticipated possible source of failure
2
: being or relating to a safeguard that prevents continuing on a bombing mission according to a preconceived plan
3
: having no chance of failure : infallibly problem-free
the little black dress … has consistently been the fail-safe solution for night—
Vogue
Vogue
: a device or measure that makes something fail-safe
Synonyms
Examples of fail-safe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebJoel Khalili, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Her fail-safe office-appropriate neutrals are being replaced with diaphanous Oscar de La Renta shirtdresses and Goyard handbags.
—Daniel Rodgers, Glamour, 3 Apr. 2024
For older decks with uncapped composite boards, Trex doesn’t have any fail-safe suggestions.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Luckily, Versace and Omega is a pretty fail-safe combination.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024
Their key message: this generation of Kodiak’s AV platform has redundant components which are essential to ensure fail-safe or fail-operational capability in the event of a fault.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
My Kabul One of my fail-safe tips for finding good food in an unfamiliar place is to look for dishes that don’t seem to fit on a menu — say, butter chicken in an Afghan restaurant.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024
Thanks to modern watch technology, including tougher cases, silicon escapements, and fail-safe shock-absorbing systems, tourbillons are now frequently spotted in sporting venues, from the tennis courts to the fairways.
—Carol Besler, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2023
But as Ben Wheatley’s misguided 2020 Netflix movie version proved, the material is far from fail-safe.
—David Benedict, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023
Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
Shop Now 10 Navy Blue In areas with strict historic guidelines, navy blue is often a fail-safe.
—Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, 17 Mar. 2023
Follow these Dallas pros’ fail-safe do’s and don’ts for getting the job hung.
—Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 15 Mar. 2023
But for anyone who’s been lulled into a sense of complacency by digitization, The Living Record makes clear that digital is no fail-safe solution.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2023
Adjective
The wreck led to a raft of safety improvements, among them, it is believed, the dead man’s switch, a fail-safe now found in all kinds of modern machinery.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Her fail-safe office-appropriate neutrals are being replaced with diaphanous Oscar de La Renta shirtdresses and Goyard handbags.
—Daniel Rodgers, Glamour, 3 Apr. 2024
For older decks with uncapped composite boards, Trex doesn’t have any fail-safe suggestions.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Luckily, Versace and Omega is a pretty fail-safe combination.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024
Their key message: this generation of Kodiak’s AV platform has redundant components which are essential to ensure fail-safe or fail-operational capability in the event of a fault.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
My Kabul One of my fail-safe tips for finding good food in an unfamiliar place is to look for dishes that don’t seem to fit on a menu — say, butter chicken in an Afghan restaurant.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024
Thanks to modern watch technology, including tougher cases, silicon escapements, and fail-safe shock-absorbing systems, tourbillons are now frequently spotted in sporting venues, from the tennis courts to the fairways.
—Carol Besler, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2023
But as Ben Wheatley’s misguided 2020 Netflix movie version proved, the material is far from fail-safe.
—David Benedict, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023
Noun
The idea was to make bank oversight both stricter and more fail-safe.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
Shop Now 10 Navy Blue In areas with strict historic guidelines, navy blue is often a fail-safe.
—Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, 17 Mar. 2023
Follow these Dallas pros’ fail-safe do’s and don’ts for getting the job hung.
—Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 15 Mar. 2023
But for anyone who’s been lulled into a sense of complacency by digitization, The Living Record makes clear that digital is no fail-safe solution.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fail-safe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near fail-safe
Cite this Entry
“Fail-safe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fail-safe. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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