safety net
- 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.
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Origin of safety net
First recorded in 1945–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for safety net
Contemporary Examples
Similarly, his call for capping spending at 20 percent of GDP also would mean deep cuts in safety-net programs.
safety net
- 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
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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