protrude
Americanverb (used without object)
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protrudes,
present (3rd person singular)
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protruded,
past participle, past
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protruding
present participle
verb (used with object)
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protrudes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
protruded,
past participle, past
-
protruding
present participle
verb
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to thrust or cause to thrust forwards or outwards
-
to project or cause to project from or as if from a surface
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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protrudableadjective
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protrudentadjective
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protrusibleadjective
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unprotrudedadjective
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unprotrudentadjective
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unprotrusibleadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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protrudesimple
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protrudessimple
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have protrudedperfect
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has protrudedperfect
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am protrudingprogressive
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are protrudingprogressive
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is protrudingprogressive
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have been protrudingperfect progressive
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has been protrudingperfect progressive
Past
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protrudedsimple
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had protrudedperfect
-
was protrudingprogressive
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were protrudingprogressive
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had been protrudingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of protrude
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin prōtrūdere “to thrust forward,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + trūdere “to thrust”
Explanation
Protrude means to stick out. A gravestone protrudes from the ground, a shelf protrudes from a wall, a lollipop stick protrudes from your mouth. From the Latin prō- "forward, out" + trūdere "to thrust," protrude often describes coastlines where rocks stick out into the water. Prō- gives us protrusion "something that sticks out," and protuberance "something that grows out of something else"––a goiter, for example, or a nose.
Vocabulary lists containing protrude
List 6
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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My Life with the Chimpanzees
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A blackened mattress, a twisted bicycle, a crushed sofa and toys protrude between two stacked concrete slabs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
His face in careful concentration, the Major-General from Ukraine's Civil Protection Service clings tightly to a precious bundle, wrapped for protection in his coat - and out of which two small pink shoes protrude.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025
In a canyon overlooking Paradise Cove, melted steel beams protrude from a concrete foundation that survived Woolsey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
His chin is pitched forward, his ears protrude and his brow is furrowed over glinting black eyes.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
I squint harder and realize the fingers no longer protrude from it.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
A medium altitude rainforest, it protrudes above Mozambique’s lowlands, makes it effectively a 'sky island'.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2024
The x-ray spectrometer protrudes over the rover’s front and rotates by 90 degrees to study the material below it.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 13, 2023
A terrifying symbol of Mayon’s deadly fury is the belfry of a 16th-century Franciscan stone church which protrudes from the ground.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
His red beard protrudes from bright white makeup contoured with yellow and green pigment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
I look for the break in the pattern, the nail that protrudes.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Shopping carts and car parts protruded from the water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
The kindergarten playground, weathered from decades of brutal winters, had turned hazardous; at times, sharp screws protruded from some of the equipment, and kids routinely got splinters from the wooden crossbeams.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2023
As Albies remembered the events of the day before, two legs in white leggings, high socks and flip-flops protruded from beneath the sweatshirts and jerseys hanging in the locker next to him.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2022
A long, thick tube protruded from Vicha’s head.
From New York Times ● Aug. 17, 2021
Up and down more stairs, and now they were in a long, long room, made of glass, that protruded, needlelike, out over the leafless black-and-white countryside hundreds of feet below them.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
The wreck in the Danube was reportedly discovered on 2 August, when a passersby reported part of the motorcycle protruding from the rocks on the riverbank in downtown Budapest.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
In England, the exhaust hoses of portable air conditioners protruding from windows are an increasingly common sight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Their latest experiments focus on a new particle design that includes additional protruding "legs."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
An AFP photograph showed a red area with several brownish scabs protruding above his shirt collar on the right side of the neck of the 79-year-old president, the oldest ever elected.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
I knew my mother had been pregnant, her belly protruding more by the day, but I was so young, I couldn’t put it all together.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
