safeguard

noun

safe·guard | \ ˈsāf-ˌgärd

Definition of safeguard

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : pass, safe-conduct

b : convoy, escort

2a : a precautionary measure, stipulation, or device

b : a technical contrivance to prevent accident

safeguard

verb

safeguarded; safeguarding; safeguards

Definition of safeguard (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to provide a safeguard for

2 : to make safe : protect

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about safeguard

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Choose the Right Synonym for safeguard

Verb

defend, protect, shield, guard, safeguard mean to keep secure from danger or against attack. defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack. defend the country protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure. a hard hat to protect your head shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack. shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger. White House entrances are well guarded safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger. our civil liberties must be safeguarded

Examples of safeguard in a Sentence

Noun

The new law has safeguards to protect the rights of citizens. There are many safeguards built into the system to prevent fraud.

Verb

laws that safeguard the rights of citizens You need to safeguard your computer against viruses. There are steps you can take to safeguard against identity theft.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The goals of denuclearizing, or even of getting the program acknowledged and under international safeguards, get further away. — Heather Hurlburt, Daily Intelligencer, "What Happens When You Treat Nuclear Diplomacy Like a Reality TV Show," 24 May 2018 By handing over its China iCloud service to a local company without sufficient safeguards, the Chinese authorities now have potentially unfettered access to all Apple’s Chinese customers’ iCloud data. — Laignee Barron, Time, "Amnesty International Is Accusing Apple of Betraying Chinese iCloud Users," 22 Mar. 2018 The measures by Nordic and Baltic regulators comes as banks in the region face questions about safeguards for spotting financial crimes. — Kristin Broughton, WSJ, "Nordic, Baltic Regulators Agree to Share Info on Money-Laundering Threats," 15 May 2019 Opponents also contend that the law lacks proper safeguards for the state's most vulnerable patients. — Alexei Koseff, sacbee, "Assisted death rate nearly doubled in California in 2017," 22 June 2018 If this is all by Ford’s design — a game in which everyone is trapped — then is this revolution just a piece of theater, minus the usual safeguards for humans? — William Lee, chicagotribune.com, "‘Westworld’ Episode 4 recap: 5 things to know about ‘The Riddle of the Sphinx’," 14 May 2018 But the undeniable fact is that class actions represent consumers' single most-powerful tool in holding businesses accountable for their actions (or non-actions, in the case of privacy safeguards). — David Lazarus, latimes.com, "Businesses really, really don't like this privacy bill, which is why you should," 22 May 2018 So Bernard — careful, thoughtful Bernard — set all this in motion, and then intentionally scrambled his memories as a safeguard against the Delos thugs. — William Lee, chicagotribune.com, "‘Westworld’ Episode 10 recap: 5 things to know about ‘The Passenger’ and Season 2's finale," 24 June 2018 Duty disability retirement was set up as a safeguard for city employees in hazardous professions. — Ashley Luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee police supervisors' union sues city over duty-disability payments," 21 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Efforts to safeguard against election interference have ignited concerns over First Amendment protections and censorship and brought a new wave of criticism, often pitting citizens, top lawmakers and tech giants against one other. — Deanna Paul, The Seattle Times, "Analysis: How fighting political disinformation could collide with the First Amendment," 30 Mar. 2019 Cybersecurity analyst and lawyer Shawn Tuma explains what the government is doing to help safeguard voters come November. — Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Search for clues in gaming tournament shooting; New McCain burial details; Lewandowski rips Cohen," 27 Aug. 2018 All herbs and spices that help to safeguard your immune system! — Theresa Shank, Rd, Ldn, Philly.com, "Philly dietitian shares best defenses against flu season," 29 Jan. 2018 Doorjambs include an added reinforced plate to help safeguard your family and home. — The Good Housekeeping Institute, Good Housekeeping, "GH Seal Spotlight: Window World Doors Presented by Therma Tru," 5 Apr. 2019 Very brave and talented people!’’ To ensure a clear path for getting evacuees to the hospital and to safeguard their privacy, authorities ordered the media to move away from the cave before the boys came out. — Tassanee Vejpongsa And Kaweewit Kaewjinda, BostonGlobe.com, "The hidden, high-tech world of communications at Fenway Park," 8 July 2018 The time for evaluations is just about done and over the coming days teams will begin to further cocoon themselves in an effort to safeguard their strategies. — Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Besides pick, Bucks face other decisions on draft night," 18 June 2018 Three days later, Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy introduced a bill to safeguard pets. — Anchorage Daily News, "Parkland kids are rewriting the playbook," 23 Mar. 2018 But at a time when the number of drones—hobbyist and commercial—will only increase, is there anything airports and governments can do to safeguard against delays, and, in the worst circumstances, fatal collisions? — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "What Are Airports Going to Do About Drones?," 9 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'safeguard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.