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.

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

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

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

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

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