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

The meeting comes as congressional Democrats threaten to partially shut down the government if Republicans don't put guardrails on immigration authorities. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 Jan. 2026

But the council will also vote on an oversight proposal by two council members that is designed to impose guardrails on all types of city surveillance contracts. —Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026

Those guardrails include a requirement for warrants for arrests, a ban on federal agents wearing masks, mandatory body cameras and a uniform code of conduct for federal agents. —Garrett Downs,emily Wilkins, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026

The Nissan overturned and crashed into a guardrail along the freeway, which ejected the passenger onto the freeway. —Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 28 Jan. 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)