safety net

noun

: something that provides security against misfortune or difficulty

Examples of safety net in a Sentence

The program provides a safety net for people who have lost their jobs.
Recent Examples on the Web The answer isn’t simple; poverty, overwork, a lack of safety nets, a fragmented medical system and daily stressors could all play a role. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023 Many countries in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere have recognized that free trade is not free and have developed social safety nets to help their workers handle the disruptions of globalization. Ryan Hass, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023 Black women are the social safety net of the Black community. Essence, 19 Oct. 2023 Other safety net hospitals in San Francisco and New York City do not restrain psychiatric patients at anywhere near the same rate as L.A. General. Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023 Just how did the city’s public hospitals, which serve as a safety net for the poor and uninsured, come to be in possession of such a collection? Winnie Hu, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023 Rather than resent such immigration across the border, crowding job markets and adding millions of dependents to the social safety net, Poles too remember how their top business leaders, government officials, and intellectuals were murdered in the Katyn Forest massacre of 1942. Byjeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2023 South American qualifying, for so long such a high-wire act, now operates with a colossal safety net. Rory Smith, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 If the next generation views parenthood differently, these critical safety nets can become a reality. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 18 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'safety net.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of safety net was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near safety net

Cite this Entry

“Safety net.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safety%20net. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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