safety net

noun

: something that provides security against misfortune or difficulty

Examples of safety net in a Sentence

The program provides a safety net for people who have lost their jobs.

Recent Examples on the Web

If autonomous vehicles take over the streets, thousands of us will be left competing for fewer and fewer jobs with no transition plan and no safety net, not to mention that the people who will benefit most from Waymo in Illinois are millionaires in Silicon Valley. —Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

Medicaid is a healthcare safety net for low-income residents and helps pay for a wide range of services, from routine and emergency medical care to nursing home care and housing services. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2026

Voters are also fiercely protective of the nation’s safety net amid these fiscal woes. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026

Overly optimistic predictions of economic growth and the elimination of our country’s social safety net will not solve our deficit problem. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for safety net

• electrojet
• marionette
• plantagenet
• videlicet
• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet