Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

protectant

American  
[pruh-tek-tuhnt] / prəˈtɛk tənt /

noun

  1. a substance, as a chemical spray, that provides protection, as against insects, frost, rust, etc.; protective agent.


protectant British  
/ prəˈtɛktənt /

noun

  1. a chemical substance that affords protection, as against frost, rust, insects, 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

Etymology

Origin of protectant

1660–70, for an earlier sense; protect + -ant

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:

She’ll go for a 30-minute walk outside wearing a weighted vest, UV protectant facial mask and sun hat, then spend another 30 in her home gym.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 13, 2026

The freezing process involves replacing the water in embryo cells with a protectant fluid and flash freezing with liquid nitrogen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

From Seattle Times Feb. 21, 2024

Running a flat iron over small sections that have been sprayed with heat protectant, she creates small ringlets, pinning them to his head to set.

From New York Times Nov. 11, 2021

He sprayed it with a protectant and used the plastic wrap of a canvas as a palette.

From Washington Post Jul. 4, 2021

As a seed protectant, juglone is unsuitable because of its inherent toxicity to the non-cutinzed root surfaces.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943 by Northern Nut Growers Association

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training