safety net: Meaning and Definition of

safe'ty net"

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a large net rigged between a person, as a trapeze performer, and the ground as protection in a fall.
  2. something that provides a margin of protection or security: the safety net of federal credit for financial institutions.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.