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

Synonyms

• railing
• rail

Examples of guardrail in a Sentence

the car ran off the road, but fortunately only hit the guardrail

Recent Examples on the Web

Just as financial markets and pharmaceuticals drugs are regulated to protect society, so too must the AI agents shaping our future be subject to robust guardrails. —Sahar Hashmi, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

Especially considering Grok is integrated into one of the world’s most popular social networks – and one where the old guardrails around the spread of misinformation have been removed. —Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 June 2025

Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the program, and Ring’s accompanying Neighbors app, have heightened the risk of racial profiling and turned residents into informants, with few guardrails around how law enforcement can use the material. —Annie Palmer, CNBC, 25 June 2025

But instead the car struck a guardrail and a concrete bridge support in Woodbridge shortly before midnight, according to NJ.com. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for guardrail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

guardrail

noun

guard·​rail ˈgär-ˌdrāl 

: a protective railing placed along dangerous areas (as of a road)