guardrail

4 synonyms for guardrail, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A rail fixed beside a dangerous drop or edge to act as a safety barrier.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

guard railing guide rail crash barrier traffic barrier

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A rail fixed beside a dangerous drop or edge to act as a safety barrier.

“He gripped the guardrail as he leaned over to look down the cliff.”

guard railing guide rail

2. noun British: crash barrier

A strengthened barrier fitted along the side of a road to keep vehicles from leaving it and to lessen the harm of a crash.

“The car clipped the guardrail and spun back onto the road.”

crash barrier traffic barrier

How to use guardrail

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

metal guardrail put up a guardrail install guardrails road guardrail safety guardrails

The road-safety sense is more common in North America; British English tends to say crash barrier for the same thing.

Etymology

Guardrail is a straightforward compound formed from guard and rail. The word simply joins the two existing English elements to name a rail that guards.

Full origin of guardrail →

Frequently asked questions

What is a guardrail used for?

It is a barrier fitted beside a drop, edge or road to protect people or vehicles from falling or crashing. The same word is also used figuratively for a rule or safeguard that prevents mistakes.

Is a guardrail the same as a crash barrier?

In British English, crash barrier is the usual term for the road-safety version of a guardrail. The two describe the same kind of structure alongside a road.

Can guardrail be used outside of roads and buildings?

Yes, it is often used figuratively for a limit or safeguard designed to stop errors, such as a rule built into a piece of software or a policy.

Nearby words

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