protectionism

[ pruh-tek-shuh-niz-uhm ]

noun
  1. Economics. the theory, practice, or system of fostering or developing domestic industries by protecting them from foreign competition through duties or quotas imposed on importations.

  2. any program, policy, or system of laws that seeks to provide protection for property owners, wildlife, the environment, etc.

Origin of protectionism

1
First recorded in 1855–60; protection + -ism

Other words from protectionism

  • pro·tec·tion·ist, noun, adjective
  • pro·tec·tion·is·tic, adjective
  • an·ti·pro·tec·tion·ist, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use protectionism in a sentence

  • The English trading classes resented the shortage of cotton and the high duties which the protectionist North was imposing.

    The Canadian Dominion | Oscar D. Skelton
  • In Europe the swing to free trade had halted, and nation after nation was becoming aggressively protectionist.

    The Canadian Dominion | Oscar D. Skelton
  • For the protectionist colonies preference would mean only a reduction of an existing tariff.

    The Canadian Dominion | Oscar D. Skelton