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.

It is an essential safety valve that remains "effective only if the conflict doesn't last too long", cautioned Perrin.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

They happen when water treatment works become overwhelmed, usually after rainfall, allowing highly diluted sewage to spill into a river as a "safety valve".

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

Banks have more regularly tapped a Fed lending facility designed as a safety valve that lets them exchange securities for reserves, offering another sign of reserves becoming less ample.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

Elon Musk thinks humankind’s only safety valve is to move multitudes to Mars.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

There is one valve closed by a weight, although it is not in this case a safety valve; however, Papin describes the operation of such a valve.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton