safety

noun

safe·ty | \ ˈsāf-tē

plural safeties

Definition of safety

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

3a(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

safety

verb

safetied; safetying

Definition of safety (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to protect against failure, breakage, or accident safety a rifle

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about safety

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of safety in a Sentence

Noun

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 on the Web: Noun

Ever since then, he's been dedicating his life to educating others about fire safety and creating products that will save lives. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "This Heat-Sensing Christmas Tree Ornament Was Designed to Detect Fires Faster," 15 July 2019 And the junior safety is more than worthy of the honor. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Identifying the Best 2020 NFL Draft Prospect at Each Position," 12 July 2019 The festival also recruited new advisors to work on traffic plans, safety and security, and specialists in talent relations to help secure Vernon Downs venue. — Taylor Mims, Billboard, "Update: Woodstock 50 New Location Permit Appeal Rejected," 11 July 2019 Two years later, in 2013, questions about safety and marketing came to a head in the halls of Congress. — Sara Talpos, Quartz, "The dangers of energy drinks can be fatal—especially for teens," 10 July 2019 Broken down, the fiscal year 2019-20 spending plan includes $2 billion for public safety, $2.3 billion for health and human services, $1.3 billion for finance and general government and $651 million for land use and environment. — Ramona Sentinel, "County supervisors approve $6.25 billion budget," 9 July 2019 Turkey has avoided the meltdown that seemed possible last summer when the lira plunged precipitously, but safety is remote. — Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, "Turkey’s Long, Painful Economic Crisis Grinds On," 8 July 2019 For the Leonards, water safety is a personal issue. — Lydia Gerike, courant.com, "‘A critical time of the year’: Stew and Kim Leonard remind adults to be vigilant, prevent accidental drownings," 5 July 2019 The only thing the researchers can say with any confidence is that the treatments didn’t cause any safety issues in the small group of participants. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "New York Times falls for “obesity probiotic” hype," 5 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

What kind of impact will safety Su’a Cravens make this year? — Ryan O'halloran, The Denver Post, "Broncos Mailbag: Does Joe Flacco really have John Elway’s full support?," 11 June 2019 Beset with injury problems, Moyes has overcome them, as well as the negativity surrounding his appointment, to guide the Hammers to safety with two games to spare. — SI.com, "Why Premier League Survival Should Herald a New Era of Optimism at West Ham Under David Moyes," 7 May 2018 Bills safety Micah Hyde thinks that one way to keep receivers safe should be to fine quarterbacks for helmet-to-helmet hits, according to ESPN. — Jenna West, SI.com, "Bills' Micah Hyde Says Quarterbacks Should Be Fined For Helmet-to-Helmet Hits," 17 Apr. 2018 Jalen Harvey moved from wide receiver to safety this spring. — Jeff Metcalfe, azcentral, "ASU football loses WR John Humphrey to Achilles injury," 22 Mar. 2018 Vaccaro can play either safety position and at 27 years old remains in the prime of his career. — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, "NFL free agency: Could Detroit Lions land Richard Sherman or Malcolm Butler?," 10 Mar. 2018 Bethel Search and Rescue member Tom Martini was one of the people who helped get the rest of the family to safety that night. — Anna Rose Macarthur, Anchorage Daily News, "Bethel rescuer gave his coat to the hypothermic aunt and his boots to the little boy," 12 Jan. 2018 And that could help safety officials prioritize ways to intervene. — Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, "D.C. crash-mapping gets boost from firm that can also help identify dangerous hotspots," 6 Oct. 2017 So could safety Derwin James — who missed last year’s game with an injury — on defense or special teams. — Jake Lourim, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville football at Florida State: 3 keys and a prediction," 20 Oct. 2017

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.