protruding

American

[proh-troo-ding, pruh-] / proʊˈtru dɪŋ, prə- /

adjective

projecting outward, as from a surface.

The driver pulled in too close to the curb and knocked over the sign with his truck’s protruding side mirror.
The phone’s protruding camera lens is at a high risk for getting scratched.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of protruding

protrud(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something protruding is sticking out. When you're playing hide and seek, be sure your whole body is under the bed — a protruding arm or leg will give away your hiding spot. The part sticking out of an otherwise flat surface can be described as protruding. If a display is protruding from a storefront, you have to walk around it. If you have a big, red zit protruding from your forehead, you should probably see a dermatologist. And if you look up the mountainside and see rocks protruding, look out! Protruding rocks tend to fall down, which could put a damper on the hike.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing protruding

"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

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Similes from Top AP English Exam Novels

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Tuck Everlasting

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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.

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

If the fish-trap hypothesis is the right one, then the lines of protruding monoliths would have also supported a "net" made of sticks and branches to catch fish as the tide retreated.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

Hidden behind each protruding eye are two long, spiraled optic nerves -- a configuration not documented in any other lizard species.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025

Though widely regarded as handsome, particularly early in his career, Mr. Nakadai’s most memorable physical feature—as he himself acknowledged—were his large, protruding eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

Her dress hung on her thin frame, her hip bones protruding at the belted waistline.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023