SAFEGUARDS Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

safeguards 1 of 2

noun

plural of safeguard

as in protections

means or method of defending with these safeguards in place, no one should be able to break into our computers

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as in precautions

a measure taken to preclude loss or injury safeguards that were intended to assure our security, but not at the expense of our liberty

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safeguards

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of safeguard

as in protects

to drive danger or attack away from sheepdogs safeguard the flock from attacks by wolves

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of safeguards

Noun

The incident, along with subsequent episodes disclosed by Anthropic and Meta, sparked an industry-wide push to slow development of frontier AI models to improve safeguards keeping autonomous agents under human control. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026 My daughter is what those statistics look like when government safeguards fail. — Nicole Russell, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Homer Glen officials in April voted on safeguards to its Flock camera policies in an effort to ease residents’ concerns over an intrusion in privacy. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026 State lawmakers on Monday passed new safeguards around social media, artificial intelligence and data centers at a time when technology has become intertwined with people’s daily lives. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 The letter adds to a growing chorus of warnings about the dangers associated with advanced AI and comes shortly after a series of high-profile incidents in which flagship models tested by Anthropic and OpenAI breached testing safeguards. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 Consumers in 48 states lack the baseline safeguards that the CLARITY Act would establish. — Michael Faulkender, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026 The Shively Police Department introduced new safeguards for Flock Safety cameras after an officer was allegedly using the devices to harass a woman over several months in 2026. — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Aug. 2026 Meta said the new safeguards will only apply in the United States, with most in place for 10 years. — Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Verb

Summary The federal government traditionally safeguards investors through disclosure, oversight, and enforcement. — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 The addition of Skubal further safeguards them at a time when Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are working their way back from injuries and Justin Wrobleski has already surpassed his career high in innings. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 Most governments have so far balked at putting in place mandatory rules about what safeguards companies developing advanced AI systems need to build into their models or have in place internally to guard against losing control of AI agents. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 22 July 2026 As development surrounding Midewin continues, Egan said protecting these buffer areas also safeguards benefits that extend beyond wildlife. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026 According to the State Controller's Office, the state safeguards unclaimed property on behalf of individuals, businesses, and public agencies. — Brad Hamilton, CBS News, 16 June 2026 Today Congress took a shortcut in its bid to erase the Roadless Rule, a longstanding conservation policy that safeguards around 45 million acres of national forest land from development. — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 10 June 2026 By saying what the law is and applying it to real-world cases, the Supreme Court safeguards the rule of law. — Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 9 June 2026 By validating data authenticity, DNSSEC safeguards against attacks such as DNS spoofing and guarantees that users connect to the correct IP address. — IEEE Spectrum, 6 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for safeguards

Noun

The Overton window for acceptable AI use in Hollywood continues to widen as Hollywood actors, television hosts, and influencers embrace cloning with protections and compensation.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Projects would also face limits on air pollution and requirements related to clean backup power, green building standards and worker protections.

— Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of protections

Noun

Take these precautions during water activities Swimmers, particularly those in southern states and warm coastal waters, should expect a minimal risk of contracting a pathogen in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, brackish waters and hot springs.

— Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated the reopening on Monday morning, and her administration outlined precautions to beat back the outbreak.

— Abraham Tellez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of precautions

Verb

The feline panleukopenia vaccination also protects cats against two other common viruses — feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus.

— Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Florsheim’s argument has centered on Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine, which protects public rights in navigable waters and the land beneath them.

— Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of protects

Noun

Last season, according to TruMedia, defenses were in nickel or dime packages — five or six defensive backs — on close to 70 percent of snaps.

— Daniel Popper, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Adversaries may soon be able to fly drones in coordinated swarms using AI, effectively overwhelming any defenses.

— Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of defenses

Verb

Nobody clings to each other more firmly, defends their relationship more fiercely, or dismisses the opinions of the internet more authentically than Brinity.

— Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
His book with Daphna Renan vigorously defends majority rule against institutional impediments.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of defends

Noun

Drops railway temperatures To prevent high-speed aerodynamic forces from ripping the heat shields off, researchers secured the magnetic strips with dual mechanical fasteners.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Protective, almost — which makes sense, as its stunning chandeliers are designed to look like the shields and spears of African Masai warriors.

— Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of shields

Verb

Anthropic closely guards its training data sources, but music publishers think the court should require more transparency.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Liberty guards Marine Johannes and Pauline Astier are both looking forward to the opportunity to represent France during the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup tournament.

— Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of guards

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safeguarding

safeguards

safekeeping

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“Safeguards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/safeguards. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of safeguards

noun

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