guardrail

American  

[gahrd-reyl] / ˈgɑrdˌreɪl /

noun

1. Also guardrailing. a protective railing, rail, railing, as along a road or stairway.

2. Railroads. a rail laid parallel to a track to prevent derailment or to keep derailed rolling stock from leaving the roadbed.

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guardrail British  

/ ˈɡɑːdˌreɪl /

noun

1. a railing at the side of a staircase, road, etc, as a safety barrier

2. Also called (Brit): checkrail.  railways a short metal rail fitted to the inside of the main rail to provide additional support in keeping a train's wheels on the track

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Etymology

Origin of guardrail

First recorded in 1825–35; guard + rail ¹

Example Sentences

Yet the loss of creative control quickly manifested itself: OpenAI “strengthened its copyright guardrails and ‘content violation’ warnings became a routine part of denying user requests,” The Times reported.

From Los Angeles Times

The guardrails of multilateral institutions are becoming too limited to contain hegemonic rivalries.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This new information affirms that guardrails on public-private partnerships are important in all instances and especially this one,” Pham said in a statement.

From Salon

Others had concerns about the safety implications of allowing users to create AI-generated videos, even with guardrails.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kalshi said March 23 it was launching “new technological guardrails that preemptively block politicians, athletes and other relevant people from trading in certain politics and sports markets.”

From The Wall Street Journal