a person or thing that protects; defender; guardian.
English History.
a person in charge of the kingdom during the sovereign's minority, incapacity, or absence.
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).
a person or thing that protects
history a person who exercised royal authority during the minority, absence, or incapacity of the monarch
1325–75; < Late Latin ( see protect, -tor); replacing Middle English protectour < Middle French
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It was led by somebody that I had grown to trust and see as a protector and somebody who had my back,” she told podcast host Jay Shetty of the incident.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
"Our findings significantly shift tubulin's role in neurodegeneration, from a passive casualty of disease to an active protector against toxic protein aggregation," Ferreon said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
While all Gulf states are wrestling with growing security risks and the reliability of their American protector, the Emirates is doubling down on its relationship with the U.S.,
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
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
“A giant as protector? Even Dalla could not boast of that.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Protector launched in New York and Los Angeles last week, where users can now request ride shares with gunslinging drivers and bodyguards, all of them either active or retired military or law enforcement personnel.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2025
Cromwell died of natural causes after ruling the country as Lord Protector, but when the monarchy was restored, his corpse was exhumed and beheaded.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2024
Protector is a gentle, touching ode to motherhood, introduced by a voice note of Beyoncé's daughter Rumi pleading, "Mum can I hear the lullaby please?"
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2024
The Water Protector Legal Collective, a group that assisted protesters in criminal cases, did not respond to a message for comment on the lawsuit.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
Saturn was originally one of the Numina, the Protector of the Sowers and the Seed, as his wife Ops was a Harvest Helper.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
A low-cost approach worked for batteries and surge protectors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Local warlords allied to the military have been the principal protectors and business partners of the Chinese scam bosses, and have become very rich.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025
"Microglia are not simply destructive responders in Alzheimer's disease -- they can become the brain's protectors," explained Anne Schaefer, the senior author of the research and leader of the project.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025
“Great giants… thirty feet high” and big-headed protectors, the kilikis and zaldikos.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025
No blades were allowed in the presence of the king save those of his protectors.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
