self-protection
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-protection
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
He refused to buy a weapon for self-protection even as his brothers and many friends armed themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Within industries, as a supply-chain crisis unfolds, fear and self-protection instincts kick in, with hoarding and company-level stockpiling resulting in confusing demand signals that make it hard for upstream producers to respond.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
When the 43-year-old got out of her car in the garage one morning in December after dropping her children off at school, she was even carrying a gun for self-protection.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
The case popularized the expression “A man’s house is his castle,” which many understand today as a universal right to home and self-protection, regardless of gender, race, or class.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2025
Kate had laughed too—the quickest and best self-protection.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
