safety

noun safe·ty \ ˈsāf-tē \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of safety

plural safeties

1 : the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss

2 : a device (as on a weapon or a machine) designed to prevent inadvertent or hazardous operation

3 a (1) : a situation in football in which a member of the offensive team is tackled behind its own goal line that counts two points for the defensive team — compare touchback

(2) : a member of a defensive backfield in football who occupies the deepest position in order to receive a kick, defend against a forward pass, or stop a ballcarrier

b : a billiard shot made with no attempt to score or so as to leave the balls in an unfavorable position for the opponent

c : base hit

See safety defined for English-language learners

See safety defined for kids

Examples of safety in a Sentence

The changes were made in the interest of public safety.
He made some suggestions about how to improve airline safety.
I'm worried about the safety of the people who were left behind.
We were reluctant to leave the relative safety of our hotel.
She was only a mile from the safety of her home when the accident occurred.
The car has been redesigned for improved safety.
The toys are inspected for safety.
They were led to safety by the rescuers.
The injured hiker was finally able to reach safety.

Recent Examples of safety from the Web

Some city leaders say the law is less about panhandling and more about pedestrian safety and keeping traffic moving along the busiest of streets, reported Spectrum News.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "NC city makes it illegal to give panhandlers cash through your car window | Charlotte Observer," 23 Apr. 2018
Gale was writing not long after Bull Connor, the public-safety commissioner in Birmingham, Alabama, had turned dogs and fire hoses on nonviolent protesters.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "The Renegade Sheriffs," 23 Apr. 2018
That is the first role of government is safety and security.

— Fox News, "Laura Ingraham: Starbucks in black and white," 20 Apr. 2018
Gaspar, Jacob and other critics of the law said their concern is public safety.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Gaspar tries to ride Trump's 'sanctuary' lawsuit into Congress," 20 Apr. 2018
Were the county to pay it, the money amounts to about 8 percent of the $571 million the county expects to spend in its next fiscal year to run general government operations, fund schools and police and public safety.

— allan vought, The Aegis, "With $45.4 million at stake, what's next after the rubblefill judgment?," 20 Apr. 2018
Still, Saleem says, ‘‘Designing an undersea structure such as Ithaa and designing a sleeping and living experience is vastly different.’’ Among his main concerns was safety.

— nikki ekstein, BostonGlobe.com, "A hotel in the Maldives lets you sleep underwater — for $50,000 a night," 19 Apr. 2018
The program was presented by the Connecticut chapter of AAA, Berlin Prom Promise Initiative, school officials and town public safety.

— bill leukhardt, Courant Community, "Car Accidents Topic Of Berlin High School Prom Safety Event," 19 Apr. 2018
From its founding in 1871 throughout most of the twentieth century, the NRA was largely a firearms-safety and marksmanship-training organization.

— elliott woods, The New Republic, "Essential reporting, interpretation, and opinion on politics and culture. Don't miss our latest.," 16 Apr. 2018

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