safety

American  

[seyf-tee] / ˈseɪf ti /

noun

safeties plural

1. the state of being safe; freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.

2. the quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss.

3. a contrivance or device to prevent injury or avert danger.

4. Also called lock, safety catch, safety lock.  a locking or cutoff device that prevents a gun from being fired accidentally.

5. the action of keeping safe.

6. Football.

   1. an act or play in which a player on the offensive team is tackled in his own end zone or downs the ball there, or in which the ball goes out of bounds on a fumble, having last been in bounds in or over the end zone and having last been in the possession of an offensive player.

   2. an award of two points to the opposing team on this play.

   3. Also called safety man.  a player on defense who lines up farthest behind the line of scrimmage.

7. Baseball. a base hit, especially a one-base hit.

8. Slang. a condom.

9. Obsolete. close confinement or custody.

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safety British  

/ ˈseɪftɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being safe

2. freedom from danger or risk of injury

3. a contrivance or device designed to prevent injury

4. American football

   1. Also called: safetyman.  either of two players who defend the area furthest back in the field

   2. a play in which the offensive team causes the ball to cross its own goal line and then grounds the ball behind that line, scoring two points for the opposing team Compare touchback

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-safety
  noun
• supersafety
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• safeties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of safety

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sauvete, from Middle French; equivalent to safe + -ty ²

Explanation

A safety is a device that helps keep you from doing bad things, like the safety on a gun that prevents you from pulling the trigger accidentally. Safety, besides meaning "the state of being safe," is used for things that promote safety. If you designate a special meeting place in case of emergency, that place is a safety. If you use contraception during sex, that's also a safety, to prevent pregnancy. In football it's a safety if a player is tackled behind his own goal line. And if you hit the baseball in a way to ensure you reach the base, that's called a safety too.

Example Sentences

Buildings collapsed and residents rushed to the streets for safety as the quakes struck.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

The country needs a permanent home for the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear waste, which currently sits in temporary storage amid ongoing safety concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

The logs, which carry guests through the attraction, do not have safety belts or lap bars.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

“Without major improvements in healthcare, job quality, scheduling practices, workplace safety and protection against age discrimination, a German-style reform would face substantial resistance here,” Ghilarducci said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

Since her ailment compromised the safety of the others, we took up the problem in caucus.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• freedom
• security