defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.
defend the country
protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.
a hard hat to protect your head
shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.
shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand
guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.
White House entrances are well guarded
safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.
our civil liberties must be safeguarded
Example Sentences
Noun The new law has safeguards to protect the rights of citizens. There are many safeguards built into the system to prevent fraud. Verb laws that safeguard the rights of citizens You need to safeguard your computer against viruses. There are steps you can take to safeguard against identity theft.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Following his release in 2016, fellow Atlanta music makers including childhood friend Young Thug encouraged the rapper to pursue music as a safeguard from the trappings of street crime. Elise Brisco, USA TODAY, 12 June 2022 Forest County: $133,800 for land acquisition in the Town of Nashville to continue forest management in the area, enhance public access and safeguard watershed and wildlife access. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2022 That safeguard hasn't affected Google as much because its search engine can learn so much about people from their queries. Michael Liedtke, ajc, 26 July 2022 According to Dan Ackerman, editorial director of the technology publication CNET, families have cost-effective options and safeguard features for kids to help. Tori B. Powell, CBS News, 21 July 2022 Manning insisted that the maneuver was a savvy business decision and a safeguard for the brand’s future, not merely a short-term cost saving measure. Eric Smith, Outside Online, 11 May 2021 Search warrant applications limit the search to the specific evidence being sought – a safeguard aimed at preventing investigators from conducting overly broad searches. Kevin Mccoy, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2022 By breaching this safeguard, attackers can digitally sign software with the company’s code signing certificate (that serves as a token of trust), which enables the attackers to infiltrate customer networks without detection. Gregory Webb, Forbes, 11 July 2022 Vanderbilt did not have a bar-code scanner in place in the radiology suite to confirm the patient’s drug order, another potential safeguard against mistake. Carolyn Barber, Fortune, 17 June 2022
Verb
Organizations and governments rely on the rapid exchange of technical information about hacking threats and other streams of intelligence, such as the priorities of a foreign adversary, to safeguard their own computer systems. Dustin Volz, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2022 Meanwhile, researchers are using new technology to safeguard sharks and humans. N'dea Yancey-bragg, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2022 In hard-fought battles over pretrial information sharing, lawyers for the consumers have steadily gained leverage to pry into the company’s internal records to back up their claims that Facebook failed to safeguard their personal data. Erin Prater, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2022 But the state Supreme Court said the First Amendment, by protecting freedom of speech, is also designed to safeguard the accurate flow of information to consumers. Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Aug. 2022 These protections will help safeguard Challengers teams that make it to the international leagues from having all their talent poached by partnered teams. Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022 Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is developing a new environmental curriculum to help safeguard the planet. Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2022 Its main objective was to safeguard the IT infrastructure through perimeter protection, managing password changes and backing up data. Ameesh Divatia, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 The big thing is that people are adjusting their behavior to the unpredictability of flights, building in buffer days or flying in earlier versus later to safeguard against delays and cancellations. Rachel King, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English saufgarde, from Anglo-French, from sauf safe + garde guard