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
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Fitzpatrick, who has contributed 50 tackles, one interception and recovered one fumble in the nine games, has played free safety and nickel cornerback for the Dolphins in his return to the team that initially drafted him 11th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
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Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
In the montage that played, there were no hero shots of Ben as a whippet free safety for Harvard.
—Nick Stern, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Saunders, who’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, played free safety, strong safety and in the slot during two seasons at Ole Miss.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Although the safety positions are interchangeable, Sigle and Mustapha qualify more as in-the-box safeties rather than as a last line of defense, with Brown and Pinnock operating more as traditional free safeties.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025
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Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
In the montage that played, there were no hero shots of Ben as a whippet free safety for Harvard.
—Nick Stern, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Saunders, who’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, played free safety, strong safety and in the slot during two seasons at Ole Miss.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Although the safety positions are interchangeable, Sigle and Mustapha qualify more as in-the-box safeties rather than as a last line of defense, with Brown and Pinnock operating more as traditional free safeties.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025
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 19 Nov. 2025.
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