shield

American  

[sheeld] / ʃild /

noun

shields plural

1. a broad piece of armor, varying widely in form and size, carried apart from the body, usually on the left arm, as a defense against swords, lances, arrows, etc.

2. a similar device, often of lightweight plastic, used by riot police to protect themselves from rocks and other thrown objects.

3. something shaped like a shield, variously round, octagonal, triangular, or somewhat heart-shaped.

4. a person or thing that protects.

5. a police officer's, detective's, or sheriff's badge.

6. Ordnance. a steel screen attached to a gun to protect its crew, mechanism, etc.

7. Mining. a movable framework for protecting a miner from cave-ins, etc.

8. Electricity. a covering, usually made of metal, placed around an electric device or circuit in order to reduce the effects of external electric and magnetic fields.

9. Zoology. a protective plate or the like on the body of an animal, as a scute, enlarged scale, etc.

10. dress shield.

11. Heraldry. an escutcheon, especially one broad at the top and pointed at the bottom, for displaying armorial bearings.

12. Astronomy. Shield, the constellation Scutum.

13. Also called continental shield.  Geology. a vast area of ancient crustal rocks which, together with a platform, constitutes a craton.

14. a protective barrier against nuclear radiation, especially a lead or concrete structure around a reactor.

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verb (used with object)

shields, present (3rd person singular) shielded, past participle, past shielding present participle

1. to protect (someone or something) with or as if with a shield.

2. to serve as a protection for.

3. to hide or conceal; protect by hiding.

4. Obsolete. to avert; forbid.

verb (used without object)

shields, present (3rd person singular) shielded, past participle, past shielding present participle

1. to act or serve as a shield.

shield British  

/ ʃiːld /

noun

1. any protection used to intercept blows, missiles, etc, such as a tough piece of armour carried on the arm

2. any similar protective device

3. Also called: scutcheon.   escutcheon.  heraldry a pointed stylized shield used for displaying armorial bearings

4. anything that resembles a shield in shape, such as a prize in a sports competition

5. the protective outer covering of an animal, such as the shell of a turtle

6. physics a structure of concrete, lead, etc, placed around a nuclear reactor or other source of radiation in order to prevent the escape of radiation

7. a broad stable plateau of ancient Precambrian rocks forming the rigid nucleus of a particular continent See Baltic Shield Canadian Shield

8. short for dress shield

9. civil engineering a hollow steel cylinder that protects men driving a circular tunnel through loose, soft, or water-bearing ground

10. informal

    1. short for the Sheffield Shield

    2. short for the Ranfurly Shield

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verb

1. (tr) to protect, hide, or conceal (something) from danger or harm

shield Scientific  

/ shēld /

1. A wall or housing of an absorbing material, such as concrete or lead, built around a nuclear reactor to prevent the escape of radiation.

2. A structure or arrangement of metal plates or mesh designed to protect a piece of electronic equipment from electrostatic or magnetic interference.

3. A large geographic area where rocks of a continent's craton (the ancient, relatively undisturbed portion of a continental plate) are visible at the surface. A shield is often surrounded by platforms covered with sediment.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shielder
  noun
• shieldlessness
  noun
• undershield
  noun
• shieldless
  adjective
• shieldlike
  adjective
• unshielded
  adjective
• unshielding
  adjective
• shieldlessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shields
  plural

Participles

• shielding
  present
• shielded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shield
  simple
• shields
  simple
• have shielded
  perfect
• has shielded
  perfect
• am shielding
  progressive
• are shielding
  progressive
• is shielding
  progressive
• have been shielding
  perfect progressive
• has been shielding
  perfect progressive

Past

• shielded
  simple
• had shielded
  perfect
• was shielding
  progressive
• were shielding
  progressive
• had been shielding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shield
  simple
• will have shielded
  perfect
• will be shielding
  progressive
• will have been shielding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shield

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English shelde, Old English sceld; cognate with Dutch, German Schild, Gothic skildus; (verb) Middle English shelden, Old English sceldan, scildan, derivative of the noun

Explanation

A shield is a cover that protects whatever is behind or beneath it. If you carry a shield you might be a knight, or a traffic cop who likes to flash the badge. Ancestors of the word shield include the Old English scild, similar to sciell, or "shell," which suggests the meaning of the word. If you're a turtle, you might use your shell as a shield. But a shield doesn't have to be something physical. Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once said, "Love is my sword, goodness my armor, and humor my shield." The word can also be used as a verb. You might shield your tender ears from hearing naughty words. Don't worry, shield is perfectly safe.

Example Sentences

In his first season in MLS, he guided the club to an MLS Cup victory and won the Supporters’ Shield, breaking the record for most victories by a first-year manager with 21.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026

While many donations to the California Partners Project come from charitable foundations, it also received hundreds of thousands from companies including Silicon Valley Bank, Pinterest and the charitable arm of Blue Shield of California.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

He has said that he wants Colombia to join the "Shield of the Americas", an alliance of Latin Americans countries and the US aimed at combating cartels.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has stopped coverage of GLP-1s for obesity treatment in the plans it sells to employers, too.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

“You wouldn’t believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can’t do a decent Shield Charm,” said George.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• conceal
• cover
• defend
• safeguard
• shelter