a person or thing that protects; defender; guardian.
English History.
a person in charge of the kingdom during the sovereign's minority, incapacity, or absence.
Also called Lord Protector. (initial capital letter) the title of the head of the government during the period of the Protectorate, held by Oliver Cromwell (1653–58) and by Richard Cromwell, his son (1658–59).
a person or thing that protects
history a person who exercised royal authority during the minority, absence, or incapacity of the monarch
1325–75; < Late Latin ( see protect, -tor); replacing Middle English protectour < Middle French
A protector is someone who takes care of you. In most families, part of the parents' job is to be their children's protectors. A museum guard is a protector of valuable artworks, and a Great Pyrenees dog might work as the protector of a flock of sheep, barking at predators. You can tell from the word protector that it's all about protecting, or keeping safe from harm. In Latin, protect means "covered in front," from the verb protegere and its roots pro-, "in front" and tegere, "to cover."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Catholic church is deeply entrenched in Poland's national identity and the Virgin Mary is considered the country's patron and protector, even as it undergoes one of the fastest rates of secularisation worldwide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“It was led by somebody that I had grown to trust and see as a protector and somebody who had my back,” she told podcast host Jay Shetty of the incident.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
"Our findings significantly shift tubulin's role in neurodegeneration, from a passive casualty of disease to an active protector against toxic protein aggregation," Ferreon said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
With that process continuing, hill protector Catherine Fritz, 69, strolled past the homes last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Now he was the protector of the books and the knowledge, He was the scholar/librarian.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
Also, there's the fact that Protector is only the latest high-profile offering to sprout from the gig economy: a marketplace that isn’t too keen on vetting whether or not its users actually need its services.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2025
Now Michael's trip - where he spent nearly three months aboard the Royal Navy's ice patrol vessel, HMS Protector - has provided material for both an album and film.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2024
Protector is a gentle, touching ode to motherhood, introduced by a voice note of Beyoncé's daughter Rumi pleading, "Mum can I hear the lullaby please?"
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2024
The Water Protector Legal Collective, a group that assisted protesters in criminal cases, did not respond to a message for comment on the lawsuit.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
“Visitor Brangwain Spurge. His Supreme Highness the Protector Ghohg, may he rule forever, requests your presence in the palace courtyard.”
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Nagi says many of the children come from dysfunctional families and her teachers often have to double-up as their counsellors and protectors.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
In the 1970s, the IBM uniform included short-sleeved white shirts with pocket protectors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026
"Microglia are not simply destructive responders in Alzheimer's disease -- they can become the brain's protectors," explained Anne Schaefer, the senior author of the research and leader of the project.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025
“Great giants… thirty feet high” and big-headed protectors, the kilikis and zaldikos.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025
And the king’s protectors grew fewer every day.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
