safeguard
Americannoun
-
safeguards
plural
-
something that serves as a protection or defense or that ensures safety.
-
a permit for safe passage.
-
a guard or convoy.
-
a mechanical device for ensuring safety.
verb (used with object)
-
safeguards,
present (3rd person singular)
-
safeguarded,
past participle, past
-
safeguarding
present participle
noun
-
a person or thing that ensures protection against danger, damage, injury, etc
-
a document authorizing safe-conduct
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
safeguardsimple
-
safeguardssimple
-
have safeguardedperfect
-
has safeguardedperfect
-
am safeguardingprogressive
-
are safeguardingprogressive
-
is safeguardingprogressive
-
have been safeguardingperfect progressive
-
has been safeguardingperfect progressive
Past
-
safeguardedsimple
-
had safeguardedperfect
-
was safeguardingprogressive
-
were safeguardingprogressive
-
had been safeguardingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of safeguard
1325–75; Middle English savegarde (noun) safe conduct < Middle French salvegarde, sauvegarde. See safe, guard
Explanation
A safeguard is a defense or precaution. You could describe a flu shot as a safeguard against getting sick, for example. Safeguards protect against something negative, whether it's an attacking army invading a country or a boy you don't like much asking you to the prom. A store's security system is a safeguard against theft, and a secret password is a safeguard against your sister reading your email. You can use it as a verb too: "We clearly need to safeguard our Halloween candy so Mom and Dad don't steal it after we go to bed."
Vocabulary lists containing safeguard
Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Single Shard
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
With London under pressure to formally apologise for its pivotal part in the trade and compensate Caribbean nations, he pledged to have "difficult conversations to safeguard the Commonwealth for the future".
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
Writing in The Guardian, he pledged to have "difficult conversations" to safeguard the Commonwealth's future, offering a "structured dialogue with those affected".
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
“Only by gaining a more complete understanding of our own maritime environment can we safeguard national security,” Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said at the launch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The breakthrough could lead to new ways to cool microchips, safeguard delicate electronics, and prevent equipment from being detected through its thermal signature.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
He does not notice until later that the leather-bound safeguard that had been on his desk is gone.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
However, certain antibodies can block its activity, effectively disabling one of the body's built-in safeguards against excessive immune responses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
In previous tests, OpenAI was reportedly warned that agents might slip their safeguards and attack an unintended target while seeking creative solutions to the challenge.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
The force said lessons had been learned, procedures changed and additional safeguards introduced for victims of police-perpetrated abuse.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Netflix said it isn’t responsible for the loss of a film delivered without industry-standard safeguards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Dupont, after all, would not have known who had been given the replicas of the diamond; he had no insight into the last-second safeguards of the museum.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Radio frequencies needed for weather forecasts, early warning systems, climate monitoring and water management must be safeguarded against the growing threat of interference from emerging technologies, the United Nations said on Monday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
"The government will ensure that the company as a whole remains viable for the future and that Germany's security of supply is safeguarded," the spokeswoman said.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
The family also said the apprentice was "not properly safeguarded" by BAE Systems.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
"Anyone who came over the threshold of a church was supposed to be safeguarded irrespective of their age or gender or background," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
We cautiously removed the heavy stone that safeguarded Rosa’s eternal rest and slid the white coffin from its niche.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
“Protecting the environment and safeguarding Californians requires quick and effective action from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s owners and operator,” Bonta said in a news release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Dr Sarah Redvers, who was a named safeguarding GP, said she faced a brutal investigation after she passed on complaints brought to her by other doctors.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
"We stand by the ICC and its officials, and we are committed to safeguarding its work," said Yannis Maniatis, a lawmaker with the centre-left S&D group, which backed the ICC nomination.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
He said his agency is “committed to safeguarding America’s cutting-edge intellectual property from foreign threats.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
But her main accomplishment may have been inadvertently to keep new ideas about Amazonian history from the public eye—ideas about its past that may, according to their advocates, play a role in safeguarding its future.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
