safeguard 1 of 2

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as in precaution
a measure taken to preclude loss or injury safeguards that were intended to assure our security, but not at the expense of our liberty

Synonyms & Similar Words

safeguard

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word safeguard different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of safeguard are defend, guard, protect, and shield. While all these words mean "to keep secure from danger or against attack," safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.

our civil liberties must be safeguarded

When might defend be a better fit than safeguard?

While the synonyms defend and safeguard are close in meaning, defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.

defend the country

When is it sensible to use guard instead of safeguard?

Although the words guard and safeguard have much in common, guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.

White House entrances are well guarded

When is protect a more appropriate choice than safeguard?

The words protect and safeguard are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.

a hard hat to protect your head

When could shield be used to replace safeguard?

The synonyms shield and safeguard are sometimes interchangeable, but shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.

shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand

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 safeguard
Noun
For some people within the agency, the multiple safety reviews for NASA missions are a necessary safeguard after the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies. Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025 Now that safeguard is on track to be dismantled. AFAR Media, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Andrea spends his free time here when not traveling the world performing, while his younger brother Alberto and his family quietly tend to the 300 acres of grain fields, vines, and olive trees, safeguarding the land their ancestors once farmed as sharecroppers. Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 Last year, a federal judge ordered the prison to put more protections in place to safeguard prisoners in conditions of extreme heat. Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for safeguard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for safeguard
Noun
  • Apex provides life insurance and supplemental coverage to millions of policyholders across North America, offering affordable protection to working families who need it most.
    William Jones, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The company could work with the government to determine if a waiver could be granted without violating standards such as patient privacy, safety and consumer protection.
    Emily Wilkins, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Simpson called his family to drive him to the hospital as a precaution.
    David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Other than making sure police are contacted, workers are instructed to take safety precautions and make sure that families understand the risk involved with the highly potent illicit drug.
    Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Michôd says that Sweeney was initially tentative about Martin's involvement, wanting to protect her own creative space, but opened up upon realizing that Martin wasn't going to try and control her performance.
    Esther Zuckerman, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Sources close to Spence, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, described him as an introvert to The Athletic in February.
    Jay Harris, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Minnesota Vikings had the fifth-best scoring defense in the NFL last season, and star linebacker Blake Cashman was a big reason why.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • O’Connell and company could have had veteran center Ryan Kelly hold McCarthy’s hand against defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ defense this spring.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But the way Herbert flashed early in his career, tossing seven touchdown passes and only one interception in a 2021 season sweep of the defending AFC champion Chiefs, had come to feel like a tease.
    Mike Sando, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Responding to Joe Starnes, a Democratic congressman from Alabama, Flanagan proved to be a tough witness and defended the project as being a cure for American inactivity.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Trump has lost his tariff shield.
    Brett Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • But Facebook and other companies had a legal shield, known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which essentially deterred lawsuits over content posted by their users.
    Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Advertisement Advertisement Protesters stormed the Parliament in Kathmandu, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, and, according to human rights organization Amnesty International, live ammunition.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The gunmen, who arrived at the junction in a vehicle carrying weapons, ammunition and a knife, shot at dozens of people waiting near buses in the area.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Safeguard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/safeguard. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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