safety

1 of 2

noun

safe·​ty ˈsāf-tē How to pronounce safety (audio)
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

safety

2 of 2

verb

safetied; safetying

transitive verb

: to protect against failure, breakage, or accident
safety a rifle

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
The couple aims to use their platform to advocate for food allergies, working with FARE to improve awareness and safety in restaurants throughout the Kansas City area with 15 and the Mahomies. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Over the last couple of months, Google has made cuts to its marketing, cloud and security teams in Silicon Valley, as well as in its trust and safety unit. Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
Police and rescue services were using helicopters to lift people to safety from their homes and cars. David Hodari, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024 In fact, one officer risked his life and was able to drag the man to safety with less than a second to spare. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for safety 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English saufte, from Anglo-French salveté, saufté, from salf safe

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of safety was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Safety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safety. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

safety

noun
safe·​ty
ˈsāf-tē
plural safeties
1
: the state or condition of being safe : freedom from hurt, injury, or loss
2
: a protective device (as on a pistol) to prevent accidental operation
3
a
: a score of two points for the defensive team in football when an offensive ballcarrier is tackled behind the offensive team's goal line
b
: a defensive football player whose position is far back from the line of scrimmage

More from Merriam-Webster on safety

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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