plural safeties
1
: the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss
2
: a device (as on a weapon or a machine) designed to prevent inadvertent or hazardous operation
3
a(1)
: a situation in football in which a member of the offensive team is tackled behind its own goal line that counts two points for the defensive team compare touchback
(2)
: a member of a defensive backfield in football who occupies the deepest position in order to receive a kick, defend against a forward pass, or stop a ballcarrier
b
: a billiard shot made with no attempt to score or so as to leave the balls in an unfavorable position for the opponent
c
: base hit
safetied; safetying
: to protect against failure, breakage, or accident
safety a rifle
Synonyms
Examples of safety in a Sentence
Noun
The changes were made in the interest of public safety.
He made some suggestions about how to improve airline safety.
I'm worried about the safety of the people who were left behind.
We were reluctant to leave the relative safety of our hotel.
She was only a mile from the safety of her home when the accident occurred.
The car has been redesigned for improved safety.
The toys are inspected for safety.
They were led to safety by the rescuers.
The injured hiker was finally able to reach safety.
Recent Examples on the Web
Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
Pro Football Focus currently assigns Byard a 79.0 grade for this season, which ranks ninth of 91 safeties who have played enough snaps to qualify.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
Houston Texans safety Azeez Al-Shaair apologized Monday for his hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for safety 
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.
Noun
Pet safety: How to keep your pets safe in cold weather
The best tips to heal dry and chapped lips
Use lip balm or ointment throughout the day, but be careful to avoid overdoing it.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
Pro Football Focus currently assigns Byard a 79.0 grade for this season, which ranks ninth of 91 safeties who have played enough snaps to qualify.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
After the game, the official X account (formerly Twitter) of the football team uploaded a video of defensive tackle Ed Oliver and safety Damar Hamlin throwing snowballs at each other and their teammates.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
Houston Texans safety Azeez Al-Shaair apologized Monday for his hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for safety
Dictionary Entries Near safety
Cite this Entry
“Safety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safety. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share