protectively
Americanadverb
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.
At one point his security guards moved in protectively as the scrum moved a little too close for their liking, but the King survived the close encounter unharmed.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Flat-pack ornaments that don’t need to be protectively stowed in a special container are a boon to small spacers.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
Females of the Muusoctopus robustus—the octopus species found in the garden—hover protectively over their eggs, their arms facing up, ready to swipe away any potential predators.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 23, 2023
He said firefighters protectively drenched a propane refilling station for forklifts in water.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
Every time the bus bucked over a pothole and jerked forward, his hand shot protectively over her belly.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
