guardrail

noun

guard·​rail ˈgärd-ˌrāl 

: a railing guarding usually against danger

especially : a barrier placed along the edge of a highway at dangerous points

Synonyms of guardrail

• railing
• rail

Examples of guardrail in a Sentence

the car ran off the road, but fortunately only hit the guardrail

Recent Examples on the Web

Both groups back some degree of guardrails and even overlap in areas like the need to protect children online. — Emily Wilkins, CNBC, 9 July 2026

If the executive branch continues expanding its equity investments, Congress should establish clear statutory guardrails governing ownership, oversight, disclosure, and operational independence before those holdings become much larger. — James Broughel, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

With no way to enforce this crucial boundary between trusted and untrusted sources, AI engine developers are left to erect elaborate guardrails designed to mitigate the damage rather than solve the root cause. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026

But the plan glossed over student use of AI and key guardrails around critical thinking. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for guardrail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

guardrail

noun

guard·​rail ˈgär-ˌdrāl 

: a protective railing placed along dangerous areas (as of a road)