fail-safe
adjective
pertaining to or noting a mechanism built into a system, as in an early warning system or a nuclear reactor, for insuring safety should the system fail to operate properly.
fail-safes
-
present tense formof fail-safe (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
However, discussions of fall-backs and fail-safes have not been welcome in the Wales camp while the possibility of automatic qualification remains.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023
“There are all sorts of fail-safes built into the system to avoid falsely accusing somebody of something,” Scollay said as the sport began the wait for the second result and Medina Spirit headed for Pimlico.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2021
The local election board reported a simpler story: A new worker had incorrectly trashed the ballots, and its fail-safes had quickly identified the problem.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2020
The company typically uses two or even three separate components as fail-safes for crucial tasks to reduce the possibility of a disastrous failure.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 26, 2019
“Only the person who activated the STM can use it again. My mom has fail-safes against everything.”
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
