protector
noun
a person or thing that protects; defender; guardian.
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protector
American
[pruh-tek-ter]
/ prəˈtɛk tər /
noun
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protectors
plural
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a person or thing that protects; defender; guardian.
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English History.
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a person in charge of the kingdom during the sovereign's minority, incapacity, or absence.
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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
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a person or thing that protects
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history a person who exercised royal authority during the minority, absence, or incapacity of the monarch
Protector
2
British
/ prəˈtɛktə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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protectorshipnoun
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protectressnoun
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subprotectornoun
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subprotectorshipnoun
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protectoraladjective
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protectorlessadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of protector
1325–75; < Late Latin ( see 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
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:
I’ve learned that, especially as an artist, you have to be your own protector, own advocate, and give yourself unconditional love to be able to tap into what makes your art your own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Although the rule of law remains one of the great achievements of modern civilization, it is not always a protector of competition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The Catholic church is deeply entrenched in Poland's national identity and the Virgin Mary is considered the country's patron and protector, even as it undergoes one of the fastest rates of secularisation worldwide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“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
My mother was thirty-four years old now, with no husband, no provider or protector to take care of her eight children.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
In both alleged letters, Harp reflects on her father’s suicide and thanks Trump for “always being there for me” as her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.”
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
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
Now Michael's trip - where he spent nearly three months aboard the Royal Navy's ice patrol vessel, HMS Protector - has provided material for both an album and film.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2024
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
“Goddess of the hunt, of the forest, and the moon. Protector of children, too.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
“Palaces of the Crow” charts Neriya’s survival in the forest with a band of other foundlings who were similarly saved by their winged protectors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 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
Nancy put a pair of hearing protectors over her ears.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
