plural safeties
1
: the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss
2
: a device (as on a weapon or a machine) designed to prevent inadvertent or hazardous operation
3
a(1)
: a situation in football in which a member of the offensive team is tackled behind its own goal line that counts two points for the defensive team compare touchback
(2)
: a member of a defensive backfield in football who occupies the deepest position in order to receive a kick, defend against a forward pass, or stop a ballcarrier
b
: a billiard shot made with no attempt to score or so as to leave the balls in an unfavorable position for the opponent
c
: base hit
safetied; safetying
: to protect against failure, breakage, or accident
safety a rifle
Synonyms
Examples of safety in a Sentence
Noun
The changes were made in the interest of public safety.
He made some suggestions about how to improve airline safety.
I'm worried about the safety of the people who were left behind.
We were reluctant to leave the relative safety of our hotel.
She was only a mile from the safety of her home when the accident occurred.
The car has been redesigned for improved safety.
The toys are inspected for safety.
They were led to safety by the rescuers.
The injured hiker was finally able to reach safety.
Recent Examples on the Web
Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
Since the war in Gaza began, colleges and universities have struggled to balance safety with free speech rights.
—Nick Perry and Karen Matthews The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 Apr. 2024
Discussion over the safety of crewmembers on Hollywood sets has been reignited since the tragic 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
—Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
Others who criticize the protests as antisemitic are calling for Shafik to protect the safety of Jewish students and bring the police back.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
The protests fueled a national debate over free speech and student demonstrations amid growing unrest over the fate of Palestinians in Gaza and concerns for the safety of Jewish students at home.
—USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Being a safety is marginally about athletic ability.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Police guard the perimeter of the Christ the Good Shepherd Church, where a stabbing occurred, in Sydney’s western suburb of Wakeley on April 15, 2024, after an angry mob converged demanding vengeance on the alleged assailant, whom police barricaded inside the church for his safety.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
Bosa, Mack and veteran safeties Derwin James Jr. and Alohi Gilman represent four pillars of a Chargers defense that could use some depth via the draft, including upgrades at several positions.
—Elliott Teaford, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Siyi Zhao Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The next day, at 4:20 a.m., the ship’s chief engineer, Fred Gilbert, sounded the alarm that the ship was sinking, and the crew, afraid for their lives, abandoned the ship, getting off — and to safety aboard the Collingwood.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 13 Feb. 2024
Search-and-rescue teams brought 23 skiers and snowboarders who got lost in the Vermont backcountry to safety Saturday amid single-digit temperatures, authorities said.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024
The ball, however, went directly to safety Jaquiski Tartt, who dropped it.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
So obviously, on the next play from scrimmage, Niners safety Tashaun Gipson hit Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs and knocked the ball free.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024
Rams safety Jordan Fuller, a team captain, is a pending unrestricted free agent.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024
Such as moving from quarterback to safety deep into his Stanford career, after Walsh showed him film of Ronnie Lott.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024
The team found the final two skiers and walked them to safety around 7:30 p.m.
Killington Fire/Rescue, Killington Resort Ski Patrol, Rescue Inc. and State PSAP/Dispatch also helped with large rescue mission.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024
Noun
This allows for a detailed review, led by humans and augmented with AI input, while prioritizing safety and optimizing the vaccine dose profile prior to further development in late-stage clinical trials.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
Since the war in Gaza began, colleges and universities have struggled to balance safety with free speech rights.
—Nick Perry and Karen Matthews The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 Apr. 2024
Discussion over the safety of crewmembers on Hollywood sets has been reignited since the tragic 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
—Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
Others who criticize the protests as antisemitic are calling for Shafik to protect the safety of Jewish students and bring the police back.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
The protests fueled a national debate over free speech and student demonstrations amid growing unrest over the fate of Palestinians in Gaza and concerns for the safety of Jewish students at home.
—USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Being a safety is marginally about athletic ability.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Police guard the perimeter of the Christ the Good Shepherd Church, where a stabbing occurred, in Sydney’s western suburb of Wakeley on April 15, 2024, after an angry mob converged demanding vengeance on the alleged assailant, whom police barricaded inside the church for his safety.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
Bosa, Mack and veteran safeties Derwin James Jr. and Alohi Gilman represent four pillars of a Chargers defense that could use some depth via the draft, including upgrades at several positions.
—Elliott Teaford, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Verb
Even the two buildings that suffered the most damage remained largely intact, allowing residents to climb to safety out the windows of upper stories.
—Siyi Zhao Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The next day, at 4:20 a.m., the ship’s chief engineer, Fred Gilbert, sounded the alarm that the ship was sinking, and the crew, afraid for their lives, abandoned the ship, getting off — and to safety aboard the Collingwood.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 13 Feb. 2024
Search-and-rescue teams brought 23 skiers and snowboarders who got lost in the Vermont backcountry to safety Saturday amid single-digit temperatures, authorities said.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024
The ball, however, went directly to safety Jaquiski Tartt, who dropped it.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
So obviously, on the next play from scrimmage, Niners safety Tashaun Gipson hit Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs and knocked the ball free.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024
Rams safety Jordan Fuller, a team captain, is a pending unrestricted free agent.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024
Such as moving from quarterback to safety deep into his Stanford career, after Walsh showed him film of Ronnie Lott.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024
The team found the final two skiers and walked them to safety around 7:30 p.m.
Killington Fire/Rescue, Killington Resort Ski Patrol, Rescue Inc. and State PSAP/Dispatch also helped with large rescue mission.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'safety.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near safety
Cite this Entry
“Safety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safety. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share