free safety
noun
: a safety in football who has no particular receiver to cover in a man-to-man defense
Examples of free safety in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott is an experienced free safety who is comfortable playing in the deep part of the field in two-high and single-high looks.
—
Joseph Person, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Bryant was the starting free safety for the Seahawks, while center Garrett Bradbury, acquired in a trade with the Patriots, started all 17 games for New England after 88 starts in the previous six seasons with the Vikings.
—Matt Zahn, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2026
He has primarily been used as a free safety, per Pro Football Focus.
—Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Transferring from North Dakota State, Wisniewski primarily played free safety at Texas Tech last season and shined, allowing just 165 yards on 24 catches.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for free safety
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joseph Person, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Bryant was the starting free safety for the Seahawks, while center Garrett Bradbury, acquired in a trade with the Patriots, started all 17 games for New England after 88 starts in the previous six seasons with the Vikings.
—Matt Zahn, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2026
He has primarily been used as a free safety, per Pro Football Focus.
—Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Transferring from North Dakota State, Wisniewski primarily played free safety at Texas Tech last season and shined, allowing just 165 yards on 24 catches.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for free safety
Cite this Entry
“Free safety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20safety. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
