How to Use fail-safe in a Sentence

fail-safe

1 of 2 adjective
  • What are your fail-safe hairstyling products?
    — Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2025
  • Paying to go ad-free isn’t fail-safe either.
    — Jennifer Farmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Nov. 2025
  • This allowed the train to move while the doors were open, contrary to the train’s fail-safe design.
    — Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2023
  • Mint or lemon balm are fail-safe options for sunset cocktails or morning teas.
    — Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 7 July 2023
  • It should also be remembered that even if such a time does come, Charles does have a fail-safe.
    — Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
  • But like Orange County, its boundaries have a fail-safe built in.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 July 2025
  • Then another fail-safe — a credential scan that should have also caught the key — missed that the key was there.
    — Wes Davis, The Verge, 6 Sep. 2023
  • Wrap Super cozy, yet polished, the wrap coat will be a fail-safe for chilly office commutes and evenings out.
    — Augustine Hammond, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2025
  • As for sounds, white noise is a pretty fail-safe choice for most babies who are accustomed to the noise of their mother’s womb.
    — Sarah Bradley, Parents, 10 July 2023
  • For older decks with uncapped composite boards, Trex doesn’t have any fail-safe suggestions.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The courtyard is surrounded by stone walls piled high with firewood – not a fail-safe barrier but at least a deterrent.
    — Geoff Childs, The Conversation, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Consider this the fail-safe way to make a statement during the colder months—a leopard-print coat that's both fiercely cool and classic.
    — Andrea Cheng, InStyle, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Rounded windows, fatigue testing, and fail-safe structures became standard.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
  • His fail-safe designs made Valentino the king of the red carpet, the go-to man for A-listers' awards ceremony needs.
    — CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
  • Circuit breakers Some outlets will have built-in circuit breakers, which will act as a fail-safe if too much power is channeled through the outlet.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Currently, there is no fail-safe way for creators to determine whether AI companies have used their work to train models.
    — Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 7 Aug. 2025
  • But the goal should be to create a fair, fail-safe environment where mistakes become growth opportunities and not setbacks.
    — Ujjwal Ramtekkar, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • Although there is no fail-safe approach to addressing the risks associated with high heat exposure, talking more about what's at stake is a good start.
    — Terri Adams-Fuller, Scientific American, 15 June 2023
  • Essentially, this set offers a fail-safe and enjoyable solution to cooking.
    — Tanya Edwards, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 July 2023
  • Luckily, Versace and Omega is a pretty fail-safe combination.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024
  • After installation, the batteries will work as a fail-safe during times of severe weather and high demand when the power grid can often get overwhelmed.
    — Beck Andrew Salgado, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Just like last year, Lit Hub is here to help with a fail-safe flowchart guaranteed to match you to your own ideal Big Fall Book.
    — Emily Temple september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2024
  • Just like last year, Lit Hub is here to help with a fail-safe flowchart guaranteed to match you to your own ideal Big Fall Book.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
  • The need for a fail-safe can be intrinsic to the AI, or caused by an external failure—either way, the consequences of that failure can be grave.
    — David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
  • What McPherson is yearning for now is a fail-safe uniform of sorts—clothes that will gird her against the uncertainty of our hazy and not-quite-post-pandemic world.
    — Alison S. Cohn, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Aug. 2023
  • This is an opportunity for revenue generation that provides a fail-safe against property taxes.
    — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
  • At this time, there is no fail-safe way for creators to determine if AI companies have used their work to train models, which can violate countless copyrights.
    — Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Nov. 2025
  • The car ultimately crashed against an oil buffer at the bottom of the building — a kind of emergency fail-safe meant to stop falling elevators — and the buffer's piston smashed through much of it.
    — Susan Young, People.com, 28 July 2025
  • At this time, there is no fail-safe way for creators to determine if AI companies have used their work to train models, which can violate copyrights of the works of countless artists.
    — Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Big Tech symbolism is Aster’s fail-safe, replacing religion and philosophy.
    — Armond White, National Review, 23 July 2025

fail-safe

2 of 2 noun
  • Trump’s fail-safe failed to safe.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026
  • This fail-safe can help, so don’t ignore a warning.
    — Jason Fogelson, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
  • Making these pork ribs for lots of people is a fail-safe way to impress.
    — ABC News, 11 May 2026
  • Picking a fail-safe in case of a cataclysmic event that wipes out everyone else dates back to the Cold War.
    — Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
  • This suggests gaps in contingency planning and basic fail-safe design.
    — Missy Cummings, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Mar. 2026
  • His fail-safe designs made Valentino the king of the red carpet, the go-to man for A-listers' awards ceremony needs.
    — CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
  • His fail-safe designs made Valentino the king of the red carpet, the go-to man for A-listers’ awards ceremony needs.
    — Jenny Barchfield, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
  • If communication is lost, the system automatically shuts down as a fail-safe.
    — New Atlas, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Deeper studies of such events can help manufacturers implement fail-safes to protect solar panels in the future.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026
  • This is an opportunity for revenue generation that provides a fail-safe against property taxes.
    — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
  • It is backed by a 10-minute thermal buffer tank and a 72-hour emergency water reserve to ensure continuous, fail-safe climate control.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 June 2026
  • And Uptown has two spots on East Trade Street that are open 24/7 — your ultimate fail-safe after literally any night out.
    — Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The team also developed numerous fail-safes to ensure consistent, trustworthy performance.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2016
  • Not to mention, the flattering waist tie and subtle side slit elevate your look ever so slightly without overwhelming, a fail-safe formula for chic European dressing.
    — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026
  • The firewall is a fail-safe, as batteries are expected to operate well below 150 °C (302 °F).
    — New Atlas, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Only 10 players were available to participate in the game, with Tre Jones suiting up as a fail-safe despite the team having no expectation that the injured guard would play.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
  • For a fail-safe choice, go for a white fabric liner constructed of polyester, canvas, or other natural fiber iterations (that are either mildew-resistant, water-repellent, and/or machine washable).
    — Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 June 2026
  • The new robotic system eliminates these human vulnerabilities, offering a stable, fail-safe alternative that protects doctors from long-term radiation exposure.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
  • In response, energy companies and shippers are exploring options that could involve billions of dollars in investment in new pipelines, port expansions, and alternative (though hardly fail-safe) routes through the Red Sea.
    — Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Evanston’s Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Manager Allison Leipsiger clarified on Monday that adding households would be a fail-safe way to reach more people, even if less impactful overall.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fail-safe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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