safety net

See synonyms for safety net on Thesaurus.com
noun
  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.

Origin of safety net

1
First recorded in 1945–50

Other words from safety net

  • safety-net, adjective

Words Nearby safety net

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use safety net in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for safety net

safety net

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

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