Definition of "safety" in English

noun

1. The condition or feeling of being safe; security; certainty.

   • If you push it to the limit, safety is not guaranteed.
   • He managed to reach the border and escape to safety.

2. (mechanics) A safety lock or safety catch: a mechanism on a weapon or dangerous equipment designed to prevent accidental firing or operation.

   • Be sure that the safety is set before proceeding.

3. Preservation from escape; close custody.

4. An instance of a player being sacked or tackled in the end zone, or stepping out of the end zone and off the field, resulting in two points to the opposite team.

   • He sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety.

5. Any of the defensive players who are in position furthest from the line of scrimmage and whose responsibility is to defend against passes as well as to be the tacklers of last resort.

   • The free safety made a game-saving tackle on the runner who had broken past the linebackers.

6. A safety squeeze.

7. A safety shot or sequence of such shots.

   • That was a poor safety from Higgins.
   • After thirty minutes of safety, Selby finally potted a red, to ironic cheers.

8. (dated) A safety bicycle.

verb

1. (transitive) To secure (a mechanical component, as in aviation) to keep it from becoming detached even under vibration.

2. to secure a firing pin, as in guns, to keep the gun from firing