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
Examples of guardrail in a Sentence
the car ran off the road, but fortunately only hit the guardrail
Recent Examples on the Web
OpenAI included numerous guardrails with Sora, including moderation, restrictions on scammy, violent and pornographic material, watermarks and controls over how one's likeness is used.
—
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
So there were no guardrails externally put on us.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Safety advocates warn that lack of guardrails could lead to misuse.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
In addition to cost of living wage increases, the guild is also seeking to preserve layoff protections and add new guardrails to the contract that prevent work from being outsourced to third-party companies and/or non-union labor.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guardrail
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.
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
So there were no guardrails externally put on us.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Safety advocates warn that lack of guardrails could lead to misuse.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
In addition to cost of living wage increases, the guild is also seeking to preserve layoff protections and add new guardrails to the contract that prevent work from being outsourced to third-party companies and/or non-union labor.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guardrail
Cite this Entry
“Guardrail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guardrail. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
guardrail
noun
guard·rail
ˈgär-ˌdrāl
: a protective railing placed along dangerous areas (as of a road)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share