protectionism
Americannoun
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Economics. the theory, practice, or system of fostering or developing domestic industries by protecting them from foreign competition through duties or quotas imposed on importations.
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any program, policy, or system of laws that seeks to provide protection for property owners, wildlife, the environment, etc.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of protectionism
First recorded in 1855–60; protection + -ism
Explanation
When a government limits its trade with other countries, especially by taxing imported goods, it's called protectionism. A country's protectionism restrains competition from foreign companies. In other words, it may cost more for a US company to make a t-shirt than a Chinese company, but if the US's protectionism means a high tax on the Chinese t-shirts (making them more expensive to US buyers), they won't threaten the American company's business in the same way. Quotas and regulations are other tools of protectionism. Protectionism comes from the idea that the government is protecting its industries.
Vocabulary lists containing protectionism
Australia and New Zealand - Introductory
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Australia and New Zealand - Middle School and High School
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U.S. Government - Middle School and High School
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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.
But relying on exports alone may not provide a sustainable engine for growth as protectionism rises globally and demand for its goods weakens.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
Adam Smith understood that protectionism creates perverse incentives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
"The rise of the 'Global South' and the reshaping of the global trade and investment landscape will unlock new markets and new growth areas for Hong Kong" despite protectionism and fragmentation, he added.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
One implication of this shift to more protectionism is that it distorts pricing mechanisms in the market, making it “hard to place where the value of a particular commodity is,” JPMorgan’s Kaneva said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
This novel form of protectionism was never put into place. once grew wild along the continent’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
