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 of guardrail

• 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

That requires clear guardrails. — Heather Rosenow, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

There’s no opt out to this situation and no guardrails in place because the technology that enables all this rolled out so quickly. — Joel Feder, The Drive, 24 June 2026

That pace has seemingly left lawmakers attempting to put in guardrails fighting a losing battle. — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

Lawmakers passed a new law in 2025 that put additional guardrails on forensic testing in Colorado and opened up a specific legal path for people impacted by flawed testing to seek post-conviction relief in court. — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 June 2026

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)