protrude
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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
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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
Their backs are also mirrored, and hefty steel counterweights are holding up the semicircular tubes that protrude out front.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2024
If there is a weak spot between the abdominal muscles, internal organs might start to protrude through the gap, causing a hernia.
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2023
I squint harder and realize the fingers no longer protrude from it.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
A keel is a large, fin-like part of the boat that protrudes from its base.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 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 can count every rib in my rib cage, but my stomach protrudes outward, bloated like a ball between my chest and hips.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
In the distance, the bare skeletons of trees that were drowned a century ago protruded from the lake bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 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
It seemed to me that Mr. St. John’s under lip protruded, and his upper lip curled a moment.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
The sergeant told the court Natalie was found lying on the first floor, with her head in the living room and her feet protruding into the hallway.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
Hidden behind each protruding eye are two long, spiraled optic nerves -- a configuration not documented in any other lizard species.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2025
Though widely regarded as handsome, particularly early in his career, Mr. Nakadai’s most memorable physical feature—as he himself acknowledged—were his large, protruding eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
Then, right in front of me, dim, but clearly visible, I see a pair of legs protruding from the point that marks the tip of the bow.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
