hold harmless

adjective

Describing an agreement or contract where one party assumes all liability resulting from it, thus making the agreement "harmless" for the other party.

“a hold harmless clause”

Meanings

adjectivehold harmless (not comparable)
  1. not comparablelawDescribing an agreement or contract where one party assumes all liability resulting from it, thus making the agreement "harmless" for the other party.

    a hold harmless clause

    3 more examples

    The first is a hold harmless agreement—a legal contract that limits or transfers liabilities between two parties. Like insurance, you usually have to make a hold harmless agreement before a liability occurs.

    2001, It's All Your Fault!, Silver Lake Pub., →ISBN, page 253

    An authority tow law described under Virginia Statute Section 46.2-1212.1, entitled "Authority to provide for removal and disposition of vehicles and cargos of vehicles involved in accidents," contains a hold harmless provision under Part B of the law.

    2003, Walter M. Dunn, Steven P. Latoski, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Safe and Quick Clearance of Traffic Incidents, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, →ISBN, page 3-

    The indemnify language is the "indemnity clause" (covering liabilities to third parties) and the hold harmless is the "exculpatory clause" (releasing first-party liability—this is, so that the hold harmless phrase releases a wrongdoing indemnitee where indemnify would not have this effect).

    2011, Bryan A. Garner, Garner's Dictionary of Legal Usage, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 445

    Synonyms: save harmless

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveDescribing an agreement or contract where one party assumes all liability resulting from it, thus making the agreement "harmless" for the other party.

Origin

From to hold someone harmless.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hold harmless. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20harmless

MLA

“hold harmless.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20harmless. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hold harmless,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20harmless.

Source: hold harmless on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.