Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Something that provides protection against attack, loss, or injury, as.
  • noun A precautionary measure.
  • noun A mechanical device designed to prevent accidents or injury.
  • noun A protective stipulation, as in a contract.
  • noun A safe-conduct.
  • transitive verb To ensure the safety or integrity of; protect or preserve: synonym: defend.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To guard; protect.
  • noun Safe-keeping; defense; protection.
  • noun Safety.
  • noun One who or that which protects.
  • noun Specifically— A convoy or guard to protect a traveler or merchandise.
  • noun A passport; a warrant of secnrity given by authority of a government or a commanding officer to protect the person and property of a stranger or an enemy, or by a commanding officer to protect against the operations of his forces persons or property within the limits of his command; formerly, a protection granted to a stranger in prosecuting his rights in due course of law.
  • noun An outer petticoat for women's wear, intended to save their clothes from dust, etc., when on horseback or in other ways exposed to the weather. Also, contracted, saggard.
  • noun A rail-guard at railway switches and crossings.
  • noun A contrivance attached to a locomotive, designed to throw stones and other light obstructions from the rails.
  • noun In ceramics, a saggar.
  • noun In zoology, a monitor-lizard. See monitor, 6.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To guard; to protect.
  • noun One who, or that which, defends or protects; defense; protection.
  • noun A convoy or guard to protect a traveler or property.
  • noun A pass; a passport; a safe-conduct.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun something that serves as a guard or protection; a defense
  • noun a safe-conduct, especially in time of war
  • verb to protect, to keep safe
  • verb to escort safely

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make safe
  • noun a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
  • verb escort safely
  • noun a document or escort providing safe passage through a region especially in time of war

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From safe + guard

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Examples

  • In all horse sports, individual conscience is the main safeguard for the horses, but in modern racing, there is a reasonable amount of policing, especially at the larger tracks and with the bigger races.

    A Conversation with Jane Smiley about her novel Good Faith 2010

  • Although this safeguard is built into the salary cap just for this reason, the psychology of players "losing" that escrow isn't going to sit well with them.

    Murky U.S. economy muddies NHL teams' free-agent plans 2008

  • This safeguard is necessary and provides a modicum of editorial oversight and moderation.

    Internet Identity and Anonymity : #comments 2008

  • China agreed in its Accession Protocol with the rest of the WTO members and the United States that such short term safeguard measures could be applied against them.

    Gilbert B. Kaplan: There Will Be No Trade War 2009

  • Without Borders is the best long term safeguard against any food deficit as the initiative would guarantee the movement of maize at any point from surplus to deficit areas, he said.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2005

  • Some governments have argued that the only safeguard is for the nuclear powers to retain a great part of their stocks to act as a deterrent to aggression, that total abolition will only be safe when there is some new Geiger counter, some miraculous new instrument or method that will detect the faintly radioactive H-bomb behind its concrete shield.

    Philip Noel-Baker - Nobel Lecture 1959

  • For, look you, this protection of our lives and coast, this safeguard from the scourge of war, we have it now as much as you of England; you from the hardearned money that you pay, we as the peasant pensioners of your Imperial bounty.

    Education and Empire Unity 1907

  • (The) constitutional safeguard is a must to hinder any homophobic interpretations of those vague concepts in law such as ‘general morals’ or ’social values’ by barristers, who suffer from the very same social prejudices as many others in society.

    Lambda Istanbul granted permission to continue operating 2009

  • The owner of the building, Heart of la Defense SAS, or Hold, and its parent company, Dame Luxembourg SARL, last week won the right to use so-called safeguard procedures, protection similar to the U.S.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

    Property Ruling to Put Coeur Defense on Market Anita Likus 2012

  • The case was an emotional one, since the U.S. move made use of a so-called safeguard mechanism, spelled out in China ' s WTO accession agreement, that is unique to China and allows trading partners to restrict imports from it without meeting the same burden of proof required for other countries ' goods.

    Beijing to Challenge WTO Tire Ruling Andrew Batson 2010

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