safeguard
Americannoun
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safeguards
plural
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something that serves as a protection or defense or that ensures safety.
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a permit for safe passage.
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a guard or convoy.
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a mechanical device for ensuring safety.
verb (used with object)
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safeguards,
present (3rd person singular)
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safeguarded,
past participle, past
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safeguarding
present participle
noun
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a person or thing that ensures protection against danger, damage, injury, etc
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a document authorizing safe-conduct
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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safeguardsimple
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safeguardssimple
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have safeguardedperfect
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has safeguardedperfect
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am safeguardingprogressive
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are safeguardingprogressive
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is safeguardingprogressive
-
have been safeguardingperfect progressive
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has been safeguardingperfect progressive
Past
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safeguardedsimple
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had safeguardedperfect
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was safeguardingprogressive
-
were safeguardingprogressive
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had been safeguardingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of safeguard
1325–75; Middle English savegarde (noun) safe conduct < Middle French salvegarde, sauvegarde. See safe, guard
Explanation
A safeguard is a defense or precaution. You could describe a flu shot as a safeguard against getting sick, for example. Safeguards protect against something negative, whether it's an attacking army invading a country or a boy you don't like much asking you to the prom. A store's security system is a safeguard against theft, and a secret password is a safeguard against your sister reading your email. You can use it as a verb too: "We clearly need to safeguard our Halloween candy so Mom and Dad don't steal it after we go to bed."
Vocabulary lists containing safeguard
Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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A Single Shard
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
However, the statement also said the organisation "will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation".
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
To safeguard the zoo’s legacy, the report recommended finding a new owner by next spring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
As the top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Cooper’s mission has been to prosecute the war with Iran and safeguard American security interests in the region.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran. Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us," he added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
"But we can't destroy it. We have to safeguard it—for all we know, this might be the last coin of its kind in the world."
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
With no mandate requiring such costly safeguards, AI companies have little commercial incentive to deploy them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The incidents have prompted researchers and governments to call for tougher safeguards and more rigorous testing.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Anthropic and OpenAI noted in response to AISI's report that its test had reduced or removed normal safeguards.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The administration has begun building safeguards, including a process for testing sensitive model capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Before the fronts of the buildings were sensible safeguards against demons of any kind.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
The family said it hoped a PFD report would lead to "meaningful changes" in how disciplinary processes are conducted and how employees' welfare is safeguarded.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The force added that the "day of action" had led to a number of individuals being safeguarded.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
These kinds of investigations hint at a larger reality in the Ecuadorean province, where modern life bends around an ecosystem so fiercely safeguarded that wildlife effectively holds legal right of way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
During the service, with President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in the congregation, the Catholic leader called for "greater room for freedom" and human dignity to be safeguarded.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
We cautiously removed the heavy stone that safeguarded Rosa’s eternal rest and slid the white coffin from its niche.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
A joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times revealed Sullivan has been banned from contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for the past three years because of safeguarding concerns.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
He suggested there should be more of a focus on safeguarding around the existing technology.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The investigation also revealed that Sullivan has been banned from contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for three years due to safeguarding concerns.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Katrina Pierce, from the Federation of Small Businesses in Lincolnshire, says it is more about the "policies, safeguarding and insurance costs" plus the new Employment Rights Act.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Who is safeguarding the consumer to see that no residues of dieldrin or heptachlor are appearing in milk?
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
