fail-safes

noun

plural of fail-safe
as in precautions
a measure taken to preclude loss or injury there are so many fail-safes built into the system that a highly unlikely series of mistakes would have to be made before failure could occur

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fail-safes Deeper studies of such events can help manufacturers implement fail-safes to protect solar panels in the future. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026 The team also developed numerous fail-safes to ensure consistent, trustworthy performance. — IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fail-safes
  1. precautions
  2. safeguards
Noun
  • Unlike Hamas, which deliberately targets Israeli civilians, the IDF takes all feasible precautions to mitigate harm to civilians and operates under a structured targeting framework designed to ensure the identification of lawful military objectives.
    — Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Like several other witnesses so far in the trial, Holmes testified that Farwell was critical of COVID pandemic precautions, including masks.
    — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of precautions
Noun
  • This type of structured risk assessment is already extensively used in industry through HAZOP reviews, where potential deviations, causes, consequences and safeguards are systematically examined before a process is put into operation.
    — Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Doomsday warnings about its risks have now become impossible to ignore, and protestors are taking to the streets to demand stronger safeguards.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of safeguards

Browse Nearby Words

fail-safe
fail-safes
fails (at)
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Cite this Entry

“Fail-safes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fail-safes. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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