Definition of guardrailnext
as in railing
a protective barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and its supports the car ran off the road, but fortunately only hit the guardrail

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 guardrail Executives and researchers at Anthropic and rival OpenAI repeatedly warned about the potential risks of increasingly powerful AI, with some calling for tighter guardrails and measures to control the pace of the technology's development. — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026 Only 17% reported autonomous operation with either after-the-fact sampling or real-time monitoring and guardrails. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 The process has survived succession because decision rights and guardrails are institutional rather than personal. — Rob Versaw, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Warrant for Flock Candidates up and down the ballot and from both parties have found common ground in putting guardrails around the use of Flock Security cameras and other license plate readers. — AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guardrail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guardrail
Noun
  • Most were gleaming white and conventionally extravagant, with black privacy glass and chrome railings and layers of decks.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Several spectators reached for the ball along the railing as Moises Alou lunged to try to make the catch.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • For now, the central test is whether autonomous electric railcars can move from supervised pilots to dependable commercial service across existing rail networks.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Last month, the rail authority’s Inspector General found that rail authority leaders, including CEO Ian Choudri, approved $2 million that four consulting firms had billed the bullet train system.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Guardrail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guardrail. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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