safety net
- noun
- /ˈseɪfti nɛt/
- Most countries in the civilized Western world have a safety net, and ours is thinner than most.
- social safety net
- provide a safety net
- welfare safety net
And so you kind of need the safety net of a sponsorship to keep you afloat.
- And so you kind of need the safety net of a sponsorship to keep you afloat.
- It's sort of accepting that there's no safety net.
- I, I don't, I don't have a safety net.
- Immigrants have to try harder, actually, because there's less safety net.
- And what, what are the benefits and maybe limits of a safety net in, in, in a country like ours?
- No funding, no resources, no safety net.
- I want to say that's not to the exclusion of a social safety net.
- You can start cultivating respect and character because the safety net is there.
- We've stripped the United States population of of a social safety net.
- This is where the Democrats have failed in messaging the benefits of social safety net and social safety programs.
- And what that means is we have set up a financial safety net for Brittany in terms of a new trust.
- And so there's an optimism and a belief that there's a safety net that I don't think is truly there.
- the social safety net needs saving, and the misogyny needs to stop.
- And the one safety net that I had here was him.
Examples
-
So a woman might need to go to the hospital, but she has no safety net, no resources to fall back on.
-
The government established a social safety net to provide support for families in need during economic downturns.
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For some people, especially children, welfare is an essential safety net.
Academic text (2003) -
We will have a lot of insights into how that social service safety net in Canada affects our labor policy.
Academic text (1996) -
The EU provided for guaranteed pay for work, workplace safety, and a social safety net.
Academic text (1997) -
The key steps would be improved social safety nets to cushion their transition and training programs to improve their skills.
Academic text (2002) -
Without a financial safety net, many people struggle to cope with unexpected expenses like medical bills.
-
Workers are reassured that the company offers a comprehensive safety net to protect them against job loss.
Synonyms
Government actions that try to keep local businesses safe from foreign competition
A way to protect someone or something from harm
A plan or fund that protects against failure and emergencies
A place or situation that protects people from danger
Extra money you keep for unexpected bills or emergencies
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound meaning is directly inferable from 'safety' (protection) + 'net' (a device that catches/supports): a system that "catches" people in difficulty. Although metaphorical, the image is natural and commonly used cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily deduce the sense.
Etymology
Safety net comes from the picture of a circus net that catches a performer who falls, so people call a system like unemployment benefits a safety net because it 'catches' you when life goes wrong.