protégé

American  

[proh-tuh-zhey, proh-tuh-zhey] / ˈproʊ təˌʒeɪ, ˌproʊ təˈʒeɪ /

noun

1. a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in their career or welfare.

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protégé British  

/ ˈprəʊtɪˌʒeɪ /

noun

1. a person who is protected and aided by the patronage of another person

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Etymology

Origin of protégé

First recorded in 1780–90; from French, noun use of past participle of protéger “to protect” from Latin prōtegere; protect

Example Sentences

The screen tests were not successful, but Vadim - who was six years older - took her on, first as his protégé and then as his fiancée.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

Alyssa may have a point, but her critique is also tinged with the fear of being outpaced by her protégé.

From Salon • Dec. 15, 2025

Altman paid $6.5 billion to acqui-hire Steve Jobs’s protégé Jony Ive, who helped build the iPhone and the Apple Watch, along with Ive’s team that comes with other ex-Apple heavyweights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

He’s mellow and looks like he could work at a bank — in fact, he pursued architecture before finding a calling in film as a David Fincher protégé.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

From the start Constantin guessed I wasn't any protégé of Mrs. Willard's.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath