fail-safe
[ feyl-seyf ]
/ ˈfeɪlˌseɪf /
adjective
noun
(sometimes initial capital letter) the point beyond which the bombers cannot go without specific instruction; the fail-safe point.
something designed to work or function automatically to prevent breakdown of a mechanism, system, or the like.
verb (used with object), fail-safed, fail-saf·ing.
to make fail-safe.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of fail-safe
First recorded in 1945–50; apparently from verb phrase to fail safe(ly)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for fail-safe
So as we lurch toward the next “fail-safe” milestone, there must be a way out for both sides.
For example, at Three Mile Island, a fail-safe feature actually made the meltdown worse.
My Social Chef recommends the perfect, fail-safe roast chicken recipe.
Internally, the communications beam to Thule Base had been interrupted; and the fail-safe had not failed-safely.
Where I Wasn't Going|Walt Richmond
fail-safe
adjective
designed to return to a safe condition in the event of a failure or malfunction
(of a nuclear weapon) capable of being deactivated in the event of a failure or accident
unlikely to fail; foolproof
verb
(intr) to return to a safe condition in the event of a failure or malfunction
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012