as in guards
a protective device (as on a weapon) to prevent accidental operation
the gun couldn't be fired as long as the safety was on
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Recent Examples of safeties
Allen features clean movement skills and enough speed to threaten safeties.
—
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Simmons likes the length of his safeties – both Hill and Sterlin are 6-2.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
In all, 50 players made the jump from the lower divisions and became starters (six games or more) at the Power 4 level, including 16 receivers, eight safeties, eight offensive linemen and six defensive linemen.
—Manny Navarro, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Our middle safeties are breaking on the ball.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2026
The three other spots are pretty much set, with Pierce and Urlacher as safeties and Graham playing in a versatile safety/corner role.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Hafley also detailed his core principles for identifying valuable safeties.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Harbaugh replaced Minter with Chris O’Leary, who was a safeties coach under Minter (2024) before spending a season at Western Michigan (2025) as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
His vertical number would have placed him among the top five testing safeties at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Simmons likes the length of his safeties – both Hill and Sterlin are 6-2.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
In all, 50 players made the jump from the lower divisions and became starters (six games or more) at the Power 4 level, including 16 receivers, eight safeties, eight offensive linemen and six defensive linemen.
—Manny Navarro, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Our middle safeties are breaking on the ball.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2026
The three other spots are pretty much set, with Pierce and Urlacher as safeties and Graham playing in a versatile safety/corner role.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Hafley also detailed his core principles for identifying valuable safeties.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Harbaugh replaced Minter with Chris O’Leary, who was a safeties coach under Minter (2024) before spending a season at Western Michigan (2025) as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
His vertical number would have placed him among the top five testing safeties at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for safeties
Noun
-
Suarez will be fighting for time on a roster that is loaded with forwards and big guards.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Pebley believes her Latson will learn a lot from two of the craftiest guards in the game.—
John Davis,
Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These locks don’t rely on thin cables or plastic.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Immediate freezing locks in nutrients and protects against degradation.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Safeties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/safeties. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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