act as a failsafe

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "act as a failsafe" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing a mechanism or procedure that serves as a backup or safety measure to prevent failure or errors. Example: "The secondary system is designed to act as a failsafe in case the primary system fails."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Yet it has previously proved a folly to believe that common sense or technical knowledge would act as a failsafe.

BMJ Quality and Safety

The failure of cetuximab to benefit patients with KRAS-mutated tumours (Lievre et al, 2006) suggests that natural unmanipulated ADCC cannot act as a failsafe mechanism when receptor blocking is not a viable therapeutic option, providing further grounds to artificially enhancing ADCC via bioengineering.

British Journal of Cancer

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

(Each method acts as a failsafe: QR codes are sometimes unreadable, while NFC support is missing from Apple's line of iPhones).

The Economist

Thus, this putative trnR-UCA may act as a novel failsafe mechanism to ensure arginine is correctly inserted into the protein at any internal UGA codons that were not properly converted by U-to-C RNA editing into CGA (which also codes for arginine).

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Finally, the lack of consistent patient notification of all test results prevents the activated patient from acting as a failsafe to ensure all results have been reviewed and acted upon.

BMC Family Practice

As well as acting as a failsafe to keep insecticides away from dragonflies and other insects, the grass is a habitat for wildlife in its own right".

The Guardian

Congressional passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 -- which mandated the provisional ballot as a failsafe and provided states money to update voting technology -- was considered a landmark overhaul that would help prevent another Florida.

The New York Times

Apple has developed a testing procedure for drivers who would act as failsafe controls during autonomous vehicle testing, documents discovered by Business Insider via a public records request show.

TechCrunch

Still, he also drafted a weaker bill as a failsafe.

The Guardian

AS A failsafe business plan it could hardly be bettered.

The Economist

Precisely why aspartate import is so inefficient remains an evolutionary mystery; one possibility is that its scarcity serves as a "failsafe," preventing cells from multiplying until they have all the resources to properly do so.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "act as a failsafe", ensure that the context clearly establishes what system or process it is designed to protect against. Explicitly state the potential failure it mitigates.

Common error

Avoid implying that something is completely "failsafe". No system is perfect; it's better to emphasize that it significantly reduces risk rather than eliminating it entirely.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "act as a failsafe" functions as a predicate in sentences, describing the role or purpose of something in preventing failure. Ludwig confirms that it is usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

33%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "act as a failsafe" is a grammatically correct expression used to describe something that serves as a backup or safety mechanism. As highlighted by Ludwig, it is found across various domains like science, news and media, and general contexts, though it appears relatively infrequently. When employing this phrase, be sure to explicitly state what potential failure it mitigates, and avoid overstating its reliability. Alternatives like ""serve as a backup"" or ""function as a safeguard"" can be considered for nuanced meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

serve as a backup

Changes the verb to "serve" instead of "act" to emphasize functionality.

function as a safeguard

Replaces "failsafe" with "safeguard" to highlight the protective aspect.

work as a safety net

Uses the metaphor of a "safety net" to suggest a protective measure.

operate as a contingency plan

Emphasizes the planning aspect, suggesting a prepared alternative.

provide a safety mechanism

Focuses on providing a mechanism ensuring safety.

serve as a preventive measure

Highlights the proactive role of preventing issues.

ensure redundancy

Emphasizes duplication for system reliability.

offer a fallback solution

Focuses on the availability of a solution if the primary approach fails.

provide a secondary defense

Highlights the role of a second protective layer.

form a safety precaution

Uses "precaution" to indicate an action taken in advance to prevent harm.

FAQs

How to use "act as a failsafe" in a sentence?

You can use "act as a failsafe" to describe a mechanism or procedure that serves as a backup or safety measure to prevent failure or errors. For example: "The backup generator is designed to "act as a failsafe" during power outages."

What can I say instead of "act as a failsafe"?

You can use alternatives like "serve as a backup", "function as a safeguard", or "work as a safety net" depending on the context.

What is the difference between "act as a failsafe" and "serve as a failsafe"?

While both phrases are very similar, ""act as a failsafe"" implies a specific action being taken to prevent failure, whereas "serve as a failsafe" suggests a more general function of providing protection.

Is "failsafe" one word or two?

"Failsafe" is typically written as one word, especially when used as an adjective or noun. The two-word version, "fail safe", is less common.