free safety
noun
: a safety in football who has no particular receiver to cover in a man-to-man defense
Examples of free safety in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There will be free safety glasses, refreshments and the opportunity to look through the solar telescope, accompanied by expert guidance on safe observation practices.
—
The Arizona Republic, 29 Mar. 2024
Mike Edwards, who was drafted in 2019 like Long, is the No. 1 free safety for the reigning Super Bowl champions in his first season with Kansas City.
—The Enquirer, 11 Jan. 2024
Trammell, playing free safety, made the interception.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
At safety, Julian Blackmon stepped capably into Rodney McLeod’s shoes at strong safety, but inconsistency from Rodney Thomas II and Nick Cross at free safety cost Indianapolis in terms of explosive plays, limiting Bradley’s options.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Jan. 2024
Tom Brady’s eldest son, Jack, plays high school football as a free safety and, yes, quarterback.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
The Colts also relied on two second-year players, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II, to play free safety next to veteran Julian Blackmon, and both players were inconsistent in coverage.
—The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
Technically Green ties the defense together as a communicator and free safety, allowing Wiggins and Kuminga to lock in on one-on-one defense while erasing their mistakes.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
Veteran safeties like Rodney McLeod and Julian Blackmon turned in impressive seasons for the Colts the past two years, but the team’s pair of young free safeties, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II, struggled with consistency.
—The Indianapolis Star, 24 Jan. 2024
The Arizona Republic, 29 Mar. 2024
Mike Edwards, who was drafted in 2019 like Long, is the No. 1 free safety for the reigning Super Bowl champions in his first season with Kansas City.
—The Enquirer, 11 Jan. 2024
Trammell, playing free safety, made the interception.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
At safety, Julian Blackmon stepped capably into Rodney McLeod’s shoes at strong safety, but inconsistency from Rodney Thomas II and Nick Cross at free safety cost Indianapolis in terms of explosive plays, limiting Bradley’s options.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Jan. 2024
Tom Brady’s eldest son, Jack, plays high school football as a free safety and, yes, quarterback.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
The Colts also relied on two second-year players, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II, to play free safety next to veteran Julian Blackmon, and both players were inconsistent in coverage.
—The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
Technically Green ties the defense together as a communicator and free safety, allowing Wiggins and Kuminga to lock in on one-on-one defense while erasing their mistakes.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
Veteran safeties like Rodney McLeod and Julian Blackmon turned in impressive seasons for the Colts the past two years, but the team’s pair of young free safeties, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II, struggled with consistency.
—The Indianapolis Star, 24 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'free safety.' 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
1958, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near free safety
Cite this Entry
“Free safety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20safety. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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