protocol

American  

[proh-tuh-kawl, -kol, -kohl] / ˈproʊ təˌkɔl, -ˌkɒl, -ˌkoʊl /

noun

• protocols
  plural

1. the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette.

2. an original draft, minute, or record from which a document, especially a treaty, is prepared.

3. a supplementary international agreement.

4. an agreement between states.

5. an annex to a treaty giving data relating to it.

6. Medicine/Medical. the plan for carrying out a scientific study or a patient's treatment regimen.

7. Computers. a set of rules governing the format of messages that are exchanged between computers.

8. Also called protocol statement,.  Also called protocol proposition.  Also called protocol sentence,.  Philosophy. a statement reporting an observation or experience in the most fundamental terms without interpretation: sometimes taken as the basis of empirical verification, as of scientific laws.

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verb (used without object)

1. to draft or issue a protocol.

protocol British  

/ ˈprəʊtəˌkɒl /

noun

1. the formal etiquette and code of behaviour, precedence, and procedure for state and diplomatic ceremonies

2. a memorandum or record of an agreement, esp one reached in international negotiations, a meeting, etc

3. 1. a record of data or observations on a particular experiment or proceeding

   2. an annexe appended to a treaty to deal with subsidiary matters or to render the treaty more lucid

   3. a formal international agreement or understanding on some matter

4. an amendment to a treaty or convention

5. In full: protocol statement.  philosophy a statement that is immediately verifiable by experience See logical positivism

6. computing the set form in which data must be presented for handling by a particular computer configuration, esp in the transmission of information between different computer systems

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protocol Scientific  

/ prō′tə-kôl′,-kōl′ /

1. The plan for a course of medical treatment or for a scientific experiment.

2. A set of standardized procedures for transmitting or storing data, especially those used in regulating data transmission between computers or peripherals.

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Usage

What does protocol mean? Protocol generally means an official set of procedures for what actions to take in a certain situation. Protocol has many specific uses, but most of them deal with such a plan or the documents that spell out such a plan or agreement. Protocol is used in specific ways in the contexts of diplomacy, medicine, and computing, but it’s also often used in a general way in situations that require people to follow official procedures. Example: His failure to follow the safety procedures was a serious breach of protocol.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• protocolar
  adjective
• protocolary
  adjective
• protocolic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• protocols
  plural

Etymology

Origin of protocol

First recorded in 1535–45; earlier protocoll, from Medieval Latin prōtocollum, from Late Greek prōtókollon originally, “a leaf or tag attached to a rolled papyrus manuscript and containing notes as to contents.” See proto-, colloid

Explanation

Protocol is most often used when talking about the rules of government or official agencies. It is derived from the French and refers to the correct rules of etiquette for diplomats. The term protocol is used in many areas besides diplomatic ones. School marching bands or college admissions offices follow protocols, and doctors use them to treat patients with specific conditions. In tech circles, a protocol is a set of standards that programmers follow so that their work can be decoded by other computers. The p in the http of a web address stands for protocol. Without this type of protocol, you would not be able to read this page.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

protocol protocols

Despite that, deputies that day failed to seal off the Guthrie property with police crime-scene tape, a standard protocol.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Uganda has since announced it is totally Ebola-free, going against the protocol of waiting 42 days from when the last patient recovers to declare an outbreak over.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Presumably most of the senators were aware that protocol requires a witness pleading the Fifth to plead it to all questions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

It wasn't, but that was down to human error not protocol.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

“It will be up to CPS what happens next. There must be protocol for this.”

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

The Federal Aviation Administration has said that Marine One and a commercial jet taking off from the airport briefly got too close under federal safety protocols to keep aircraft separated in the air.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

"The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff," Communications Director Steven Cheung said in the statement.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Still, he told reporters he was “immunized” and did not follow all of the league’s protocols for unvaccinated players.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

After the most recent, when a gunman stormed a hotel in Washington during a White House dinner, Trump's security team said they would review their protocols for protecting the president.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

All the facts on which you base protocols must be reasonably hard facts with unambiguous meaning.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• agreement
• code
• contract
• covenant
• custom
• obligation
• pact