How to Use safety valve in a Sentence

safety valve

noun
  • His hobbies act as a safety valve, relieving some of the pressure he feels from his job.
  • Yet breaking the doom loop could also cut off a safety valve.
    — Michala Marcussen, WSJ, 6 Mar. 2018
  • But the main safety valve lies elsewhere, with banks and investors.
    — The Economist, 7 Oct. 2017
  • Push the dryer back in place and either plug the dryer back in or turn on the gas safety valve.
    — Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Push the dryer back in place and either plug the dryer back in or turn on the gas safety valve.
    — Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Push the dryer back in place and either plug the dryer back in or turn on the gas safety valve.
    — Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Wait until the safety valve drops back down or the dial returns to zero.
    — Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Sep. 2022
  • Pressure in the tank continued to build until its safety valve broke.
    — Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024
  • More playing time would give him a chance to prove there’s more to his game than being a safety valve or short-area target.
    — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2022
  • To some, the notion that the coin is a safety valve makes the debt limit standoff even more dangerous.
    — Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023
  • Always-on markets remove that safety valve.
    — Abhinav Sharma, Forbes.com, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Fire safety valves should have been used to automatically shut off the gas flow, the suit said.
    — Tony Saavedra, Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Cooking and baking, along with running, are his favorite safety valves in a hectic life.
    — Kay Lazar, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2023
  • Initially, the Brady background check is supposed to have what's called a three-day safety valve.
    — Marisa Schultz, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2021
  • Mr Mubarak allowed a bit of space for opposition, as a safety valve and a sop to the West.
    — The Economist, 22 Aug. 2019
  • Holmgren, meantime, is an elite shot blocker who can protect the rim and serve as a safety valve behind Timme.
    — Adam Zagoria, Forbes, 11 Apr. 2021
  • But either Hogan didn't see them, or the Texans had the crossing routes and safety valves covered.
    — Bud Shaw, cleveland.com, 15 Oct. 2017
  • Harvey’s most effective looks have come as a safety valve, or on swing and wheel routes, when given the chance to make defenders miss in space.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
  • In fact, the firm’s R&D spend apparently needed a new safety valve.
    — Jack Sweeney, Forbes, 6 July 2021
  • In Argentina, which had an election to serve as a safety valve, incumbents were voted out.
    — Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2019
  • Too often, a route concept develops without a viable safety valve.
    — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • That approach has become a crucial safety valve for Canada as the number of refugee claimants has doubled over the past year.
    — Selena Ross, Washington Post, 20 May 2018
  • If Anthony Richardson is going to take the next step, adding a top-flight tight end to be his safety valve wouldn’t hurt.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Subversion can act as a safety valve, venting some of the fears and frustrations that drive states to attack one another.
    — William C. Wohlforth, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
  • Propane gas expands in warm temperatures, which can cause the safety valve to release gas to reduce excess pressure in the tank.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Propane gas expands in warm temperatures, which can cause the safety valve to release gas to reduce excess pressure in the tank.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
  • When the pressure in this section rises above a threshold, open the safety valve, unless the manual-override switch is turned on.
    — James Somers, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2017
  • In his four seasons as a starter, Prescott frequently looked to Cobb or Cole Beasley as a safety valve.
    — Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2020
  • Along with the right of habeas corpus, it was intended as a safety valve for a justice system that the founders knew makes mistakes, as do all human systems.
    — Alaska Dispatch News, 3 Oct. 2017
  • The running back’s 10 catches ranked fifth on the team while scoring three touchdowns as a critical safety valve out of the backfield.
    — Michael Casagrande | [email protected], al, 5 Oct. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'safety valve.' 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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