guardrail

noun

guard·​rail ˈgärd-ˌrāl How to pronounce guardrail (audio)
Synonyms of guardrailnext
: 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
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.
The verdict closes a chapter of one of South Korea’s biggest political crises, a saga that has been full of dramatic twists that have tested the country’s democratic guardrails. Helen Regan, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026 But app fatigue is real, and Senn says the team is actively thinking about retaining integrity—how to build guardrails that prevent wallets from going the way of email and SMS, buried under spam. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026 Some lawmakers view Trump’s order skeptically at best, noting the administration has been removing guardrails, and preventing others from erecting them, to an extreme degree. Darius Tahir, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026 But what was not planned or sanctioned, according to sources, was an in-character LaBeouf hoisting himself up over the bullpen’s seven-foot guardrails while a live bull bucked and charged inside, and sprinting to the other side of the pen. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guardrail

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guardrail was in 1860

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Guardrail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guardrail. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

guardrail

noun
guard·​rail ˈgär-ˌdrāl How to pronounce guardrail (audio)
: a protective railing placed along dangerous areas (as of a road)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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