Synonyms

protect

American

[pruh-tekt] / prəˈtɛkt /

verb (used with object)

to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc.; cover or shield from injury or danger.

Synonyms:

shelter, screen

Antonyms:

attack
Economics. to guard (the industry or an industry of a nation) from foreign competition by imposing import duties.
to provide funds for the payment of (a draft, note, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to provide, or be capable of providing, protection.

a floor wax that protects as well as shines.

protect British

/ prəˈtɛkt /

verb

to defend from trouble, harm, attack, etc
economics to assist (domestic industries) by the imposition of protective tariffs on imports
commerce to provide funds in advance to guarantee payment of (a note, draft, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See defend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

protect protects protected protecting

Poppe did not specify what her company would do, but made it clear that any action would protect shareholders’ money.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The telecom company is staking its future on open models, both to control token cost and protect its proprietary data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Working with the NCF for the past six years, Igwe has mobilised community leaders, local groups and security teams to protect the birds from outside hunters, with local bylaws now helping to formalise their protection.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

"This change continues the work already undertaken by the contest to strengthen safeguarding and protect younger artists from the pressures associated with competing at the Eurovision Song Contest," they added in the statement.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

"I leave you at Koyuk. Carry it to Nome. It will protect you."

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Jamelle Bouie: It’s saying: “Our Constitution protects these rights. The Constitution may not mention those rights, but those rights are there, and we understand ourselves to have them.”

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

At everyday levels, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant: it mops up harmful molecules and protects our cells.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

"End-to-end encryption is an essential security tool that protects our personal data, including our bank details, health information, private conversations and images," she said.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

International humanitarian law protects the ex-guerrillas as "subjects in a state of defenselessness," Novoa said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

She doesn't have an actual shell, of course, but whatever hard casing that protects her from life literally shifts before my eyes.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said Valencia-Trujillo, Wilkins and Levy's other victims "deserved a system that believed and protected them".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“Through all the attacks from ravens and rival eagles, through hard winds, cold and heavy snows, Jackie and Shadow protected and provided for their eaglets,” said Iowa’s Tami Schmeisser.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The company intends to argue that mental health is an industry-wide issue, and that some of the states' claims are protected by free speech laws.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

The mayor also directed city departments to halt plans to rebuild the warehouse "until the health and safety of the community are protected".

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

On the long march, gray overcast skies protected the boys from aerial assault, but by afternoon, the skies cleared, exposing the columns to danger from Allied planes.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

"Not only are we protecting our physical borders from unlawful crossings, but we are also preventing immigration fraud schemes that are just another way to skirt the immigration laws of the United States," Blanche said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Building a Better California’s website says it’s a nonpartisan group focused on “supporting forward-looking ideas to improve affordability and quality of life for all Californians” while protecting innovation and economic growth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

"Recognizing these health impacts is the first step towards better protecting communities," she said.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Child aviation safety expert Lia Tuso told the BBC the Porter crew were protecting the safety of the passengers on the flight with their decision to stop the flight, as well as the child.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

He understood that they were protecting their territory, just like he was trained to do in the military.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023