protector

American  

[pruh-tek-ter] / prəˈtɛk tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that protects; defender; guardian.

2. English History.

   1. a person in charge of the kingdom during the sovereign's minority, incapacity, or absence.

   2. 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).

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protector ¹ British  

/ prəˈtɛktə /

noun

1. a person or thing that protects

2. history a person who exercised royal authority during the minority, absence, or incapacity of the monarch

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Protector ² British  

/ prəˈtɛktə /

noun

1. short for Lord Protector, the title borne by Oliver Cromwell (1653–58) and by Richard Cromwell (1658–59) as heads of state during the period known as the Protectorate

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Other Word Forms

• protectoral adjective
• protectorless adjective
• protectorship noun
• protectress noun
• subprotector noun
• subprotectorship noun

Etymology

Origin of protector

1325–75; < Late Latin ( protect, -tor ); replacing Middle English protectour < Middle French

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

But European nations are already looking at ways to "derisk" away from what they see as a now unpredictable, unreliable protector.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

“Charge my phone?” asked another, and Gil submitted the device into a tangle of cords growing from a surge protector.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

His older sister, Averie, was a protector who “beat up everybody for me from age 3 to like 15,” Domingo says, letting out an extended belly laugh.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Especially the tiniest ones, like a cricket that reminds him that he was once a protector.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

As usual, their longtime friend and protector Calvin Brown chaperoned.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• benefactor
• bulwark
• defender
• partisan
• patron
• savior