protocol

American  

[proh-tuh-kawl, -kol, -kohl] / ˈproʊ təˌkɔl, -ˌkɒl, -ˌkoʊl /

noun

protocols plural

1. the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette.

2. an original draft, minute, or record from which a document, especially a treaty, is prepared.

3. a supplementary international agreement.

4. an agreement between states.

5. an annex to a treaty giving data relating to it.

6. Medicine/Medical. the plan for carrying out a scientific study or a patient's treatment regimen.

7. Computers. a set of rules governing the format of messages that are exchanged between computers.

8. Also called protocol statement,.  Also called protocol proposition.  Also called protocol sentence,.  Philosophy. a statement reporting an observation or experience in the most fundamental terms without interpretation: sometimes taken as the basis of empirical verification, as of scientific laws.

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verb (used without object)

1. to draft or issue a protocol.

protocol British  

/ ˈprəʊtəˌkɒl /

noun

1. the formal etiquette and code of behaviour, precedence, and procedure for state and diplomatic ceremonies

2. a memorandum or record of an agreement, esp one reached in international negotiations, a meeting, etc

3. 1. a record of data or observations on a particular experiment or proceeding

   2. an annexe appended to a treaty to deal with subsidiary matters or to render the treaty more lucid

   3. a formal international agreement or understanding on some matter

4. an amendment to a treaty or convention

5. In full: protocol statement.  philosophy a statement that is immediately verifiable by experience See logical positivism

6. computing the set form in which data must be presented for handling by a particular computer configuration, esp in the transmission of information between different computer systems

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protocol Scientific  

/ prō′tə-kôl′,-kōl′ /

1. The plan for a course of medical treatment or for a scientific experiment.

2. A set of standardized procedures for transmitting or storing data, especially those used in regulating data transmission between computers or peripherals.

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Usage

What does protocol mean? Protocol generally means an official set of procedures for what actions to take in a certain situation. Protocol has many specific uses, but most of them deal with such a plan or the documents that spell out such a plan or agreement. Protocol is used in specific ways in the contexts of diplomacy, medicine, and computing, but it’s also often used in a general way in situations that require people to follow official procedures. Example: His failure to follow the safety procedures was a serious breach of protocol.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• protocolar
  adjective
• protocolary
  adjective
• protocolic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• protocols
  plural

Etymology

Origin of protocol

First recorded in 1535–45; earlier protocoll, from Medieval Latin prōtocollum, from Late Greek prōtókollon originally, “a leaf or tag attached to a rolled papyrus manuscript and containing notes as to contents.” See proto-, colloid

Explanation

Protocol is most often used when talking about the rules of government or official agencies. It is derived from the French and refers to the correct rules of etiquette for diplomats. The term protocol is used in many areas besides diplomatic ones. School marching bands or college admissions offices follow protocols, and doctors use them to treat patients with specific conditions. In tech circles, a protocol is a set of standards that programmers follow so that their work can be decoded by other computers. The p in the http of a web address stands for protocol. Without this type of protocol, you would not be able to read this page.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

protocol protocols

But we doubt the Saudis rejected the standard protocol in favor of even stricter inspections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

In many cases, it wasn’t the internet that changed their fortunes, but financial restructurings involving private equity that turned fulfillment protocol away from customer service and toward speed and efficiency.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

They questioned the credibility of experts, DNA and ballistics reports with prolonged cross-examination about testing, interpretation and protocol.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

It also claimed Lara did not follow regulatory protocol in promulgating the new policy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Doesn’t matter—it’s all down to protocol in the end, and the bottom line is that I shouldn’t have taken that plane to France in the first place.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

The earthquake triggered precautionary safety protocols across major industrial sites in Kumamoto.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Pausing such operations long enough to reassess protocols was not surrender.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

The blonde-haired sunglasses collector scored a minor role in the series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and took a position overseeing Covid safety protocols during the pandemic on another production.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

His social media content, which promotes some unproven fertility protocols, has gone viral.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

“Netscape helped to guarantee that these open protocols would not be proprietary by commercializing them for the public,” said Andreessen.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

• agreement
• code
• contract
• covenant
• custom
• obligation
• pact