safety net

See more synonyms for safety net on Thesaurus.com

noun

a large net rigged between a person, as a trapeze performer, and the ground as protection in a fall.
something that provides a margin of protection or security: the safety net of federal credit for financial institutions.

Origin of safety net

First recorded in 1945–50

Related formssafe·ty-net, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for safety net

buffer, insurance, precaution, protection, safeguard, subsidy, benefits, parachute

Examples from the Web for safety net

Contemporary Examples of safety net

Similarly, his call for capping spending at 20 percent of GDP also would mean deep cuts in safety-net programs.
Mitt Romney and the Poor People’s Safety Net Myth
Gary Rivlin
February 2, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for safety net

safety net

noun

a net used in a circus to catch high-wire and trapeze artistes if they fall
any means of protection from hardship or loss, such as insurance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012