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
Sure, the team would probably like an upgrade over Tony Adams at strong safety, but Starks has played his best football as a free safety.
—
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
The Steelers already have their starting tandem in place with Minkah Fitzpatrick at free safety and DeShon Elliott at strong safety.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
The team traded for the rights of 30-year-old defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New England Patriots while also signing 28-year-old Kansas City Chiefs’ free safety Justin Reid to a three-year $31.5 million contract.
—Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Tom Brady’s eldest son, Jack, plays high school football as a free safety and, yes, quarterback.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
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.
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
The Steelers already have their starting tandem in place with Minkah Fitzpatrick at free safety and DeShon Elliott at strong safety.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
The team traded for the rights of 30-year-old defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New England Patriots while also signing 28-year-old Kansas City Chiefs’ free safety Justin Reid to a three-year $31.5 million contract.
—Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Tom Brady’s eldest son, Jack, plays high school football as a free safety and, yes, quarterback.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 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 7 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share