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fail-safe Meaning & Definition

/ˈfeɪlˌseɪf/

What Does Fail-Safe Mean?

Fail-Safe is an adjective that means That does not cause undue damage in the event of failure. It can also mean Designed to shut off for safety if an emergency occurs. As a noun, it means A device, mechanism or measure designed to make something fail-safe. As a verb, it means To compensate automatically, in the event of a failure.

Fail-Safe: Key Facts

Part of speechadjective, noun, verb
Pronunciation//ˈfeɪlˌseɪf//
Syllables1
Synonymssecure and safe
Pluralfail-safes
Verb formsfail-safes, fail-safing, fail-safed

Fail-Safe Definition (Adjective)

  1. That does not cause undue damage in the event of failure.

    The system is failsafe, because everything is backed up automatically.

  2. Designed to shut off for safety if an emergency occurs.

Fail-Safe as a Noun

  1. A device, mechanism or measure designed to make something fail-safe.

Fail-Safe as a Verb

  1. To compensate automatically, in the event of a failure.
  2. To make a device or mechanism fail-safe, or to add a fail-safe device or mechanism to an existing system.

Synonyms of Fail-Safe

Fail-safe synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Fail-Safe

No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.

Fail-Safe in a Sentence

The system is failsafe, because everything is backed up automatically.

Word Forms & Grammar

fail-safe

fail-safe (plural fail-safes)

fail-safe (third-person singular simple present fail-safes, present participle fail-safing, simple past and past participle fail-safed)

Words That Rhyme With Fail-Safe

How to Pronounce Fail-Safe

You say fail-safe as //ˈfeɪlˌseɪf//. It has 1 syllable.

Fail-Safe: Your Questions Answered

Is fail-safe an adjective or a noun?

Fail-safe is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a noun and a verb.

What is another word for fail-safe?

You can replace fail-safe with words such as secure and safe. See the full list of fail-safe synonyms and antonyms.

What is the plural of fail-safe?

The plural of fail-safe is fail-safes.

What is the past tense of fail-safe?

The past tense of fail-safe is fail-safed. The present participle is fail-safing.

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