protrude
Americanverb (used without object)
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protrudes,
present (3rd person singular)
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protruded,
past participle, past
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protruding
present participle
verb (used with object)
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protrudes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
protruded,
past participle, past
-
protruding
present participle
verb
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to thrust or cause to thrust forwards or outwards
-
to project or cause to project from or as if from a surface
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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protrudableadjective
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protrudentadjective
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protrusibleadjective
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unprotrudedadjective
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unprotrudentadjective
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unprotrusibleadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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protrudesimple
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protrudessimple
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have protrudedperfect
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has protrudedperfect
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am protrudingprogressive
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are protrudingprogressive
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is protrudingprogressive
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have been protrudingperfect progressive
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has been protrudingperfect progressive
Past
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protrudedsimple
-
had protrudedperfect
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was protrudingprogressive
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were protrudingprogressive
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had been protrudingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of protrude
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin prōtrūdere “to thrust forward,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + trūdere “to thrust”
Explanation
Protrude means to stick out. A gravestone protrudes from the ground, a shelf protrudes from a wall, a lollipop stick protrudes from your mouth. From the Latin prō- "forward, out" + trūdere "to thrust," protrude often describes coastlines where rocks stick out into the water. Prō- gives us protrusion "something that sticks out," and protuberance "something that grows out of something else"––a goiter, for example, or a nose.
Vocabulary lists containing protrude
List 6
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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My Life with the Chimpanzees
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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:
A blackened mattress, a twisted bicycle, a crushed sofa and toys protrude between two stacked concrete slabs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
His face in careful concentration, the Major-General from Ukraine's Civil Protection Service clings tightly to a precious bundle, wrapped for protection in his coat - and out of which two small pink shoes protrude.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025
Large planks of charred wood protrude into the walkway to the home, and pieces of insulation fall from the damaged ceiling despite a tarp they put up to cover it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2023
If there is a weak spot between the abdominal muscles, internal organs might start to protrude through the gap, causing a hernia.
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2023
The veins in her neck and forehead protrude so much they’re fighting to break through her skin.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
A keel is a large, fin-like part of the boat that protrudes from its base.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2024
The female’s dorsal fin protrudes far from the body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
The x-ray spectrometer protrudes over the rover’s front and rotates by 90 degrees to study the material below it.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 13, 2023
A terrifying symbol of Mayon’s deadly fury is the belfry of a 16th-century Franciscan stone church which protrudes from the ground.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
Looking over at him, I notice his flushed cheeks and rabbity eyes, his droopy brown mustache and bristly eyebrows, the stomach that protrudes from the bottom of his vest like a barely hidden balloon.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
In the distance, the bare skeletons of trees that were drowned a century ago protruded from the lake bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2024
The kindergarten playground, weathered from decades of brutal winters, had turned hazardous; at times, sharp screws protruded from some of the equipment, and kids routinely got splinters from the wooden crossbeams.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2023
Even more impressive was the fact that Mount Washington, by some accounts, protruded into the stratosphere — the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2023
Its windows had been blown out and bits of masonry and planks protruded from the holes.
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
The man protruded the tip of a white tongue, licked the place where his lips should have been, and then passed on.
From "1984" by George Orwell
For the hunters, a massive grey orb with a ramp protruding from it is one clue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The mysteries surrounding Sanxingdui have spawned even more outlandish questions: Do the enormous protruding eyes and enigmatic smiles featured on the figures suggest the ancient people were extraterrestrials?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Their latest experiments focus on a new particle design that includes additional protruding "legs."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
A huge flag is draped across the rutted pillars protruding from the ruins like concrete teeth.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
I knew my mother had been pregnant, her belly protruding more by the day, but I was so young, I couldn’t put it all together.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
