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
In Butte County, wind and rain downed trees, damaging roads and guardrails and at least one culvert.
—
Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The man crossed the Bridge Street service road, jumped over the guardrail and ran into traffic on I-30 westbound, police said.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
Even with better model data and software guardrails, the fluidity of human existence can evade the rigidity of algorithmic categorization.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
Instead, given the inevitability of teens’ digital lives, policy-makers and tech companies have a responsibility to support the creation of social media platforms that include not only enforceable guardrails against harmful content but that also embed helpful tools for youth mental health.
—Jessica Schleider, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
The mile-long safety improvement project in the sensitive mountain corridor widened and straightened the highway, adding shoulders and guardrails to help prevent vehicles from going off embankments into the Payette River.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2024
Among the other tools rolled out on Thursday are prompt shields, which block attacks on generative AI models, like prompt injections or malicious prompts from external documents that steer models away from training and safety guardrails.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
But if there aren’t enough guardrails, the government – whether a Democratic or Republican administration – could have too much power to influence debate in a public square dominated by social media.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Investigators said the 33-year-old Hyundai driver lost control, hit a guardrail and rammed the big rig.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The man crossed the Bridge Street service road, jumped over the guardrail and ran into traffic on I-30 westbound, police said.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
Even with better model data and software guardrails, the fluidity of human existence can evade the rigidity of algorithmic categorization.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
Instead, given the inevitability of teens’ digital lives, policy-makers and tech companies have a responsibility to support the creation of social media platforms that include not only enforceable guardrails against harmful content but that also embed helpful tools for youth mental health.
—Jessica Schleider, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
The mile-long safety improvement project in the sensitive mountain corridor widened and straightened the highway, adding shoulders and guardrails to help prevent vehicles from going off embankments into the Payette River.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2024
Among the other tools rolled out on Thursday are prompt shields, which block attacks on generative AI models, like prompt injections or malicious prompts from external documents that steer models away from training and safety guardrails.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
But if there aren’t enough guardrails, the government – whether a Democratic or Republican administration – could have too much power to influence debate in a public square dominated by social media.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Investigators said the 33-year-old Hyundai driver lost control, hit a guardrail and rammed the big rig.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guardrail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near guardrail
Cite this Entry
“Guardrail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guardrail. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
guardrail
noun
guard·rail
ˈgär-ˌdrāl
: a protective railing placed along dangerous areas (as of a road)
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