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Showing results for protecting. Search instead for protending.
Synonyms

protecting

American  
[pruh-tek-ting] / prəˈtɛk tɪŋ /

adjective

  1. providing protection or shelter.

Other Word Forms

  • nonprotecting adjective
  • protectingly adverb
  • protectingness noun
  • unprotecting adjective

Etymology

Origin of protecting

First recorded in 1620–30; protect + -ing 2

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.

Life for Wilkinson today is firmly focused on elevating her professional career and protecting her personal life at home with her children.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

The agency, and subsequently Bondi, faced bipartisan backlash, with lawmakers accusing the justice department of failing to obscure some identifying information about survivors while protecting the identities of those who were not victims.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

At the same time, Lively has framed the dispute as a test case for California’s relatively new law protecting people who speak publicly about sexual misconduct.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Crucially, researchers estimate that breaking the elliptic curve cryptography protecting Bitcoin and most major cryptos could require fewer than 500,000 physical qubits on a superconducting quantum computer.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

But truth be told, Mae and Birdie didn’t seem to need protecting.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

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.