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
-
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
-
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
Boxes labelled with western logos like New Balance and Clarks protrude from this shop's packed shelves.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
The woman’s skirt touches the floor, creating firm visual stability, but at the lower front edge, it just slightly lifts, and her feet protrude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
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
It has yellow eyes, bronze horns and similarly coloured spikes that protrude from its long tail.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
A tridimensional T. rex protrudes from Iñaki Godoy’s head while he holds a small plush toy of Monkey D. Luffy, the character who changed his life forever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
The keel is a large, fin-like part of the boat that protrudes from its base.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2024
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
I can count every rib in my rib cage, but my stomach protrudes outward, bloated like a ball between my chest and hips.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Shopping carts and car parts protruded from the water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
While modern dolphins are armed with a snoutful of cone-shaped teeth perfectly calibrated to snap up fish, this creature possessed several large teeth that protruded out of the end of its snout.
From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2023
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
Set before the windows was a balcony under which stone lions’ heads protruded.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
In England, the exhaust hoses of portable air conditioners protruding from windows are an increasingly common sight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Their latest experiments focus on a new particle design that includes additional protruding "legs."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
An AFP photograph showed a red area with several brownish scabs protruding above his shirt collar on the right side of the neck of the 79-year-old president, the oldest ever elected.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
The sergeant told the court Natalie was found lying on the first floor, with her head in the living room and her feet protruding into the hallway.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
