protect
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc.; cover or shield from injury or danger.
- Antonyms:
- attack
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Economics. to guard (the industry or an industry of a nation) from foreign competition by imposing import duties.
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to provide funds for the payment of (a draft, note, etc.).
verb (used without object)
verb
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to defend from trouble, harm, attack, etc
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economics to assist (domestic industries) by the imposition of protective tariffs on imports
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commerce to provide funds in advance to guarantee payment of (a note, draft, etc)
Synonym Usage
See defend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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protectabilitynoun
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protectibilitynoun
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overprotectverb (used with object)
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protectableadjective
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protectibleadjective
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quasi-protectedadjective
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semiprotectedadjective
-
unprotectableadjective
-
unprotectedadjective
-
well-protectedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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protectsimple
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protectssimple
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have protectedperfect
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has protectedperfect
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am protectingprogressive
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are protectingprogressive
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is protectingprogressive
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have been protectingperfect progressive
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has been protectingperfect progressive
Past
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protectedsimple
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had protectedperfect
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was protectingprogressive
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were protectingprogressive
-
had been protectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of protect
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin prōtēctus “covered in front,” past participle of prōtegere “to cover in front,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + tegere “to cover” (akin to toga, thatch )
Explanation
Whether it’s your reputation or your jewelry, when you protect something you keep it safe from anything that might threaten or harm it. The word protect came into English by way of the Latin verb protegere, a combination of pro- meaning “in front,” and tegere, meaning “to cover.” When you protect something, in a way you’re covering it or shielding it from harm. Often the word is used in the sense of protecting something, like a valued item or a person, but you can also protect against something. For example, you might get a flu shot to protect against the flu virus.
Vocabulary lists containing protect
Motherlode: A Mother's Day Lexicon
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Check It Out, Mate: Chess Vocabulary
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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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:
CIF rules that restrict tackling to two days per week and a maximum of 45 to 90 minutes a day were adopted in an effort to protect players from concussions and injuries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The prince has followed in the footsteps of his father King Charles III in working to protect nature and the planet.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Her district, arguably, would be one of the hardest places to protect daily recess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Hedging can help protect a portfolio during periods of market turbulence, but it also has important drawbacks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Danny shut his eyes and thought of Glory, of Llewelyn, of the real Leanna North who’d tried to protect the world she’d once called home.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The Secret Service has said it is dealing with an unprecedented number of threats against the people it protects, including President Donald Trump, who has escaped several assassination attempts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
First, therapies must cross the blood-brain barrier, a tightly controlled network of cells that protects the central nervous system from substances circulating in the bloodstream.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: Good Weather Skin’s Daily Lip Sun Gloss protects your lips from the sun’s rays while offering a subtle, flattering tint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The move redefines “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, the landmark conservation law that protects threatened and endangered plants and animals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
I guess that’s to protect it, sort of like the way a pillowcase protects a pillow.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Constitutionally protected newsgathering is vital to a democracy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Without that protected region, migrating moons could not survive inside Saturn's disk.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
After all, slavery and segregation were legal for much of American history, and women were not protected from discrimination by the promise of “equal protection” in the 14th Amendment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
If you’ve gotten two MMR doses, you’re well protected.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Somewhere the land was higher perhaps, where they were more protected and sure of being safe.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
The first—fear that information vital to protecting national security could be compromised—was addressed in the Press Act.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
When asked about their personal investments, 29% of advisers said that the importance of protecting their assets had increased since 2024, while only 4% said that protecting assets had become less important.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Disney’s ten or so AI jobs showed the century-old studio building out its AI research and production muscle, while protecting its vault of beloved characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
He added: "Stone Cloak is the best of homegrown British innovation and proven on the frontline, and it will be vital to protecting our security in both our countries."
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
What the press—and seemingly everyone else—failed to understand was that it was Bobby’s shrewdness in protecting his financial interests, rather than temper tantrums or neuroses, that was making him hesitate.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
