safety net

American  

noun

• safety nets
  plural

1. a large net rigged between a person, as a trapeze performer, and the ground as protection in a fall.

2. something that provides a margin of protection or security.

   the safety net of federal credit for financial institutions.

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safety net British  

noun

1. a net used in a circus to catch high-wire and trapeze artistes if they fall

2. any means of protection from hardship or loss, such as insurance

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• safety-net
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• safety nets
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of safety net

First recorded in 1945–50

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

safety net

What happens to the tens of millions of people like her with little or nothing saved for retirement and no safety net?

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

In her victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing, Mr Mullins' wife of 27 years, Sarah, said her husband had been her "safety net".

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

MarketWatch columnist Aditi Shrikant explains how a tighter budget, automatic payments and unexpected cash windfalls can shrink your balance without sacrificing your financial safety net.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

But “Tender Loving Care,” centered on two social service workers navigating the fraying social safety net and, in one case, anxiety about aging parents, possesses a bracing humanity full of compassion and urgency.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Their safety net, money left over for emergencies and unforeseen expenses, came to $10.72.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

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