safety valve

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The notwithstanding clause was brought in as a safety valve.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

The port of Yanbu has emerged as a vital safety valve for Saudi crude, allowing Riyadh to bypass the paralyzed Strait of Hormuz by piping oil via its East-West pipeline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Dot plots and macro projections serve as a pressure safety valve where disagreement can be hashed out, without harming the consistency of the policy message.

From Barron's • Dec. 12, 2025

In that incident, the board’s investigation found multiple safety failures, including a severely eroded safety valve that allowed flammable gases to dangerously seep into unwanted areas.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2025

When pressure in the reactor gets too high, a safety valve opens and allows steam to escape into the torus, where it condenses back into water.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland