safety

noun safe·ty \ ˈsāf-tē \

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

A wild card for the rebuilding Mariners is wide receiver/strong safety Sebastian Burke, a senior transfer from Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman, who caught two passes for 80 yards in the opener.

— oscar terrones, San Diego U-T Preps, "Mar Vista in rebuilding mode, but team's expectations are high," 30 Aug. 2017
Not surprising to see all the ORs at the safety and star spots as those guys have all rotated in and out with the 1s and at different spots.

— AL.com, "UAB depth chart breakdown and analysis for season opener," 28 Aug. 2017
The collision also prompted the Navy to conduct a one-day global review of its safety and operational procedures last week.

— richard c. paddock, New York Times, "Remains of 10 Sailors Who Died in Navy Collision Are Found," 27 Aug. 2017
In recent months federal regulators have issued safety-violation notices after scrutinizing work-hour records, repair histories and incident reports.

— elise young, Bloomberg.com, "Fired NJ Transit Compliance Chief Says Safety Advice Quashed," 25 Aug. 2017
At the most basic level, our behaviors are protective, and giving them up means giving up safety as well.

— lori gottlieb, The Cut, "‘How Can I Be Nicer?’," 25 Aug. 2017
What’s at stake The strength of the safety net — and the right’s highest policy ambition For eight decades, conservative elites have been trying to topple pillars of the New Deal.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The Republican Budget Fight, Explained in 5 Minutes," 24 Aug. 2017
Council President David Glenn, who had been a vocal critic last year about concerns over safety at the carnival, praised how the commission put this year's events together.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Havre de Grace will have Independence Day carnival in October," 24 Aug. 2017
But the result was completely different, and now the long process begins, to make real Aminyar's hope for his family's safety.

— brian castner, Esquire, "Noorullah Aminyar Wins the Fight of His Life," 23 Aug. 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.

Origin and Etymology of safety

Middle English saufte, from Anglo-French salveté, saufté, from salf safe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

safety Synonyms

Synonyms

protection, safeness, security

Antonyms

danger, distress, endangerment, imperilment, jeopardy, peril, trouble

Related Words

aegis (also egis), cover, defense, guardianship, ward; guard, safeguard, screen, shield; asylum, harbor, haven, refuge, retreat, shelter; impregnability, impregnableness, invincibility, invincibleness, inviolability, inviolableness, invulnerability, invulnerableness

Near Antonyms

hazard, risk, threat; instability, precariousness; harm's way; exposure, liability, openness, violability, vulnerability, vulnerableness; susceptibility, susceptibleness

Other Baseball Terms

alley, cleanup, nightcap, save, shag

safety

verb

Definition of safety

safetied; safetying

transitive verb

:to protect against failure, breakage, or accident

safety a rifle

Recent Examples of safety from the Web

A helicopter rescue team hoisted one man to safety as muddy water flowed down the roadway, said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Gustavo Medina.

— joseph serna, latimes.com, "Metrolink service in Antelope Valley slowed or canceled after flash floods damage tracks," 4 Aug. 2017
Kulig jumped off the platform to lift the man to safety with others rushing over to help 60 seconds before a train raced through.

— jeffrey sonnenfeld, Fortune, "What a Fourth of July Beach Rescue Says About America’s True Heroes," 15 July 2017
How much damage North Korea inflicts in that time depends in part on South Korea’s ability to get people to safety quickly.

— motoko rich, The Seattle Times, "U.S. military options grimmer than ever as tensions rise against North Korea," 5 July 2017
How much damage North Korea inflicts in that time depends in part on South Korea’s ability to get people to safety quickly.

— motoko rich, New York Times, "In North Korea, ‘Surgical Strike’ Could Spin Into ‘Worst Kind of Fighting’," 5 July 2017
Vonn Bell has been described as someone able to play either safety role.

— NOLA.com, "Running game headlines this week's New Orleans Saints Twitter mailbag," 20 May 2017

First Known Use of safety

1916

SAFETY Defined for English Language Learners

safety

noun

Definition of safety for English Language Learners

: freedom from harm or danger : the state of being safe
: the state of not being dangerous or harmful
: a place that is free from harm or danger : a safe place

SAFETY Defined for Kids

safety

noun safe·ty \ ˈsāf-tē \

Definition of safety for Students

:freedom from danger or harm :the state of being safe

Learn More about safety

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for safety Spanish Central: Translation of safety Nglish: Translation of safety for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of safety for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about safety

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safety

Definition of safety

From the M-W Editors

Examples of safety in a Sentence

Recent Examples of safety from the Web

Origin and Etymology of safety

safety Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Baseball Terms

safety

Definition of safety

Recent Examples of safety from the Web

First Known Use of safety

Phrases Related to SAFETY

Related Phrases

SAFETY Defined for English Language Learners

safety

Definition of safety for English Language Learners

SAFETY Defined for Kids

safety

Definition of safety for Students

Learn More about safety

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