Definition of SAFEGUARD

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 In a memo to the teams, Goodell said the restrictions meant as a safeguard against the new coronavirus will be in force until at least April 8, when the league will re-evaluate, using advice from medical experts and health authorities. — Barry Wilner, Houston Chronicle, "NFL commissioner Roger Goodell orders all team facilities to close for 2 weeks," 25 Mar. 2020 Local officials objected, saying they weren't included in the planning and wanting to know what safeguards would be in place to prevent spread of the virus. — Author: Andrerw Selsky, Anchorage Daily News, "Washington governor declares state of emergency after first US death from COVID-19 virus," 29 Feb. 2020 Surely, after everything said by Stephanie Elizalde, chief of school leadership, and her team about installing new safeguards, that same message would be broadcast loud and clear from the arts school’s stage. — Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, "Months after admissions cheating scandal, new signs of trouble at Dallas ISD’s prestigious Booker T.," 29 Jan. 2020 This incredibly thin tempered glass screen protector (just .33mm thick) safeguards your console without compromising your graphics or touchscreen responsiveness. — Popular Science, "The latest and greatest accessories for your Nintendo Switch," 2 Jan. 2020 What bitter anguish would not the people of Athens have often escaped if their government had contained so provident a safeguard against the tyranny of their own passions? — Alex Griswold, National Review, "No, the Constitution Doesn’t Allow Romney to Be Recalled," 6 Feb. 2020 The bureau has gone to extensive lengths over the past decade to ensure its new online system is safe, putting in safeguards against cyberthreats. — Mary Huber, USA TODAY, "The 2020 census is on the way. Here’s what to expect," 11 Jan. 2020 James Compton, the squadron’s commander, had failed to make sure a senior officer was on duty the night of the refueling, a standard safeguard against rash decisions. — Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, "Faulty Equipment, Lapsed Training, Repeated Warnings: How a Preventable Disaster Killed Six Marines," 2 Jan. 2020 The concerns the inspector general identifies apply to intrusive investigations of others, including especially Muslims, and far better safeguards against abuse are necessary. — Charlie Savage, New York Times, "We Just Got a Rare Look at National Security Surveillance. It Was Ugly.," 11 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb More production is planned to ensure a stable supply of between three tons and five tons per week as required to help safeguard medical staff, patients and the public. — Jeff Forward, Houston Chronicle, "Villager Q&A: Peter Huntsman discusses firm’s efforts to make hand sanitizer," 27 Mar. 2020 Most of the branches that remain open have drive-up windows or teller-partition glass to help safeguard employees and customers. — Russ Wiles, azcentral, "Chase closing some Arizona branches due to coronavirus," 18 Mar. 2020 The measure sets out goals for switching the state to renewable energy sources in the coming years and helps safeguard Dominion’s investments in wind and solar. — Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, "Virginia Democrats push progressive agenda — with a dose of caution," 11 Feb. 2020 Deciding whether and how to disclose those arrangements to patients, doctors, and the broader public can be tricky for hospitals, because of concerns about their ability to safeguard personal health information. — Casey Ross, STAT, "Google partners with major U.S. health system, gaining access to vast patient data in the process," 11 Nov. 2019 Trump and Republicans are looking at government levers to safeguard smaller businesses and larger industries from the virus' effects, as more people quarantine themselves to avoid getting sick. — Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Mitch McConnell rejects Democrat's coronavirus plan as liberal 'wish list'," 12 Mar. 2020 The military had the researchers study the responses of these communities to answer a question that anticipated our current predicament: Could any of these measures be used to safeguard U.S. servicemen in the event of a novel influenza pandemic? — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Extreme actions during Spanish flu may preview decisions on coronavirus today," 7 Mar. 2020 Bloomberg’s effort skirted many of the rules that tech companies have imposed on political ads to safeguard US elections from malicious foreign and domestic interference and misinformation. — Amanda Seitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Facebook reverses on paid influencers after Bloomberg memes," 14 Feb. 2020 Mission planners are still debating how, exactly, to safeguard the rocks from Mars against Earthly contamination, as well as any possible outbreak, no matter how unlikely, of an alien organism. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, "Rocks, Rockets and Robots: The Plan to Bring Mars Down to Earth," 6 Feb. 2020

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.