SINCE 1828
free safety
nounDefinition of free safety
: 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
The Browns appear set to move Randall to free safety after spending his career to this point at cornerback. — Dan Labbe, cleveland.com, "Browns exercise fifth-year option on safety Damarious Randall," 30 Apr. 2018 Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas intercepted two passes by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who was sacked five times and rushed at other times. … With the win, the Seahawks can exhale a bit. — Seattle Times Sports Staff, The Seattle Times, "What the national media are saying about the Seahawks’ first home win," 24 Sep. 2018 At a position where three players could play heavy defensive minutes, the Lions have Glover Quin, Wilson, Walker, Killebrew and Quandre Diggs, who’ll be on the field somewhere as either a slot cornerback or free safety. — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions' Ameer Abdullah, Jim Bob Cooter on post-NFL draft hot seat," 1 May 2018 He has been projected as a cornerback and free safety. — cleveland.com, "Simeon Thomas: Get to know the Browns' No. 188 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft," 28 Apr. 2018 Also expected to be drafted are cornerbacks Anthony Averett and Tony Brown and free safety Ronnie Harrison. — Joseph Goodman, AL.com, "Alabama, Saban could make history in 2018 NFL Draft," 25 Apr. 2018 Instead of meddling there, expect second-year GM Chris Ballard to use his cap space ($84 million) and early draft picks to restock a defense that ranked 30th last season and needs work at every position except tackle and free safety. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "Ranking the NFL's Neediest Teams," 9 Feb. 2018 This season, Jackson started all over the Tigers' secondary picking up starts at cornerback, nickel cornerback and free safety. — Andrew Lopez, NOLA.com, "LSU cornerback Donte Jackson declares for 2018 NFL Draft," 9 Jan. 2018 Los Angeles Chargers Chargers' free safety Derwin James celebrates after making an interception. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "How Jon Gruden Shaped the NFL Playoff Picture," 28 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'free safety.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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