fail-safe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those recorded cues act as a fail-safe against technical malfunctions during the broadcast, though the orchestra aims to play everything live.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

The boats had rejected their inputs and automatically idled as a fail-safe, making them “dead” in the water.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

“Within moments, the robot came to a full stop in response to sensing a pedestrian in close proximity, which is considered its fail-safe state.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

The NFL’s fail-safe against the worst excesses of institutional money is ego.

From Slate • Dec. 12, 2024

But Seabiscuit was a fail-safe moneymaker, drawing record crowds and wagering virtually everywhere he showed his face.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand