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)
: to protect against failure, breakage, or accident
safety a rifle
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for safety
The first known use of safety was in the 14th century
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