safety

noun safe·ty \ ˈsāf-tē \

Updated on: 12 May 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

He was convicted of conspiring to violate federal safety standards, a misdemeanor, and served one year in federal prison.

— christa case bryant, The Christian Science Monitor, "In West Virginia, GOP tries to tame forces of 'Trumpism'," 7 May 2018
And in March, Trump convened a group of leaders from various tech companies, including Twitter, Facebook, Google and Snaphat, to talk about children and internet safety, including cyberbullying and positivity in social media.

— kate bennett, CNN, "Melania Trump to announce formal platform Monday during Rose Garden ceremony," 6 May 2018
That includes remodeling and constructing two additional kindergarten classes at elementary buildings, improving energy efficiency and student safety, and upgrading and adding technology equipment.

— lori higgins, Detroit Free Press, "Schools put technology, safety projects on the line in Tuesday election," 6 May 2018
He and a slew of guests are being held hostage by Rebus (Steven Ogg) and other homicidal hosts, forcing Charlotte and Bernard to get creative in luring their target to safety.

— josh wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Westworld' Subverts Shogun World Expectations With a Clever Detour," 6 May 2018
By the way, Blankenship recently served a prison sentence for conspiracy to violate safety standards at a mine where 29 people were killed in a 2010 explosion.

— angela helm, The Root, "West Virginia Pol Uses the Word ‘Negro’ to Defend Racist Ad About ‘China People’," 6 May 2018
With safety in mind, St. Raphael will require 7on7 players to purchase soft-shell head protection and mouth guards.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Naperville Park District latest to add flag football as parents' fear of concussions grows," 5 May 2018
During a conference call last week to discuss the Palo Alto company’s latest quarterly earnings, Musk bristled at recent news coverage questioning Autopilot’s safety, saying such reports mislead drivers and could even put lives at risk.

— david r. baker, San Francisco Chronicle, "Tesla’s Autopilot, suspected in fatal crash, has a history of swerves," 4 May 2018
The report also includes recommendations on infrastructure, public safety, housing and other areas.

— richard a. webster, NOLA.com, "New Orleans must do better for poor and seniors, Cantrell's transition group says," 4 May 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.