safeguard
noun
something that serves as a protection or defense or that ensures safety.
had been safeguarding
-
past perfect progressiveof safeguard.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Nieuwenhuijsen reached out to Kars, who connected her with the middle-aged Dutch couple who had been safeguarding a sheaf of old Sablonière family letters in bundles of plastic bags—and were Nieuwenhuijsen’s own long-lost cousins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
There must be an end now of this silent reserve, of that air of impenetrability behind which he had been safeguarding his dignity.
From Nostromo, a Tale of the Seaboard by Joseph Conrad
