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

Law enforcement agencies across the country have been grappling with how to create guardrails that allow officers to use the increasingly available AI technology while maintaining accuracy, privacy and professionalism. —Claudia Lauer, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025

The company said that Raine worked to circumvent ChatGPT’s safety guardrails, and that the AI model had counseled him more than a hundred times to seek help from family, mental health professionals, or other crisis resources. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2025

In the vacuum left by the executive branch, the judiciary, in effect, became a guardrail for public health. —Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025

One person is dead and another is in critical condition after a car flipped over a guardrail early Sunday morning near the Plaza. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 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)