safety

American  

[seyf-tee] / ˈseɪf ti /

noun

safeties plural

1. the state of being safe; freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.

2. the quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss.

3. a contrivance or device to prevent injury or avert danger.

4. Also called lock, safety catch, safety lock.  a locking or cutoff device that prevents a gun from being fired accidentally.

5. the action of keeping safe.

6. Football.

   1. an act or play in which a player on the offensive team is tackled in his own end zone or downs the ball there, or in which the ball goes out of bounds on a fumble, having last been in bounds in or over the end zone and having last been in the possession of an offensive player.

   2. an award of two points to the opposing team on this play.

   3. Also called safety man.  a player on defense who lines up farthest behind the line of scrimmage.

7. Baseball. a base hit, especially a one-base hit.

8. Slang. a condom.

9. Obsolete. close confinement or custody.

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safety British  

/ ˈseɪftɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being safe

2. freedom from danger or risk of injury

3. a contrivance or device designed to prevent injury

4. American football

   1. Also called: safetyman.  either of two players who defend the area furthest back in the field

   2. a play in which the offensive team causes the ball to cross its own goal line and then grounds the ball behind that line, scoring two points for the opposing team Compare touchback

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-safety
  noun
• supersafety
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• safeties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of safety

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sauvete, from Middle French; equivalent to safe + -ty ²

Explanation

A safety is a device that helps keep you from doing bad things, like the safety on a gun that prevents you from pulling the trigger accidentally. Safety, besides meaning "the state of being safe," is used for things that promote safety. If you designate a special meeting place in case of emergency, that place is a safety. If you use contraception during sex, that's also a safety, to prevent pregnancy. In football it's a safety if a player is tackled behind his own goal line. And if you hit the baseball in a way to ensure you reach the base, that's called a safety too.

Example Sentences

Most Europeans say they believe the EU is far from perfect but, especially after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, they've decided that in our turbulent world, there is safety in numbers.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

There are other ways that are just as accurate and don’t rely on a critical safety tool to do so.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

"Anything that may help should be explored but it requires strict protocols and safety monitoring."

From Science Daily • Jun. 22, 2026

In such a scenario, he said, the city attorney’s office is less likely to be a check against the mayor’s authority to set policy on issues such as land use and public safety.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026

A black-and-white squashed-skunk figure hugged the branches above, huddled in the safety of the tree, whose boughs were bending into a leafy cage around her.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• freedom
• security