shield

American  

[sheeld] / ʃild /

noun

• shields
  plural

1. a broad piece of armor, varying widely in form and size, carried apart from the body, usually on the left arm, as a defense against swords, lances, arrows, etc.

2. a similar device, often of lightweight plastic, used by riot police to protect themselves from rocks and other thrown objects.

3. something shaped like a shield, variously round, octagonal, triangular, or somewhat heart-shaped.

4. a person or thing that protects.

5. a police officer's, detective's, or sheriff's badge.

6. Ordnance. a steel screen attached to a gun to protect its crew, mechanism, etc.

7. Mining. a movable framework for protecting a miner from cave-ins, etc.

8. Electricity. a covering, usually made of metal, placed around an electric device or circuit in order to reduce the effects of external electric and magnetic fields.

9. Zoology. a protective plate or the like on the body of an animal, as a scute, enlarged scale, etc.

10. dress shield.

11. Heraldry. an escutcheon, especially one broad at the top and pointed at the bottom, for displaying armorial bearings.

12. Astronomy. Shield, the constellation Scutum.

13. Also called continental shield.  Geology. a vast area of ancient crustal rocks which, together with a platform, constitutes a craton.

14. a protective barrier against nuclear radiation, especially a lead or concrete structure around a reactor.

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verb (used with object)

• shields,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shielded,
  past participle,  past
• shielding
  present participle

1. to protect (someone or something) with or as if with a shield.

2. to serve as a protection for.

3. to hide or conceal; protect by hiding.

4. Obsolete. to avert; forbid.

verb (used without object)

• shields,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shielded,
  past participle,  past
• shielding
  present participle

1. to act or serve as a shield.

shield British  

/ ʃiːld /

noun

1. any protection used to intercept blows, missiles, etc, such as a tough piece of armour carried on the arm

2. any similar protective device

3. Also called: scutcheon.   escutcheon.  heraldry a pointed stylized shield used for displaying armorial bearings

4. anything that resembles a shield in shape, such as a prize in a sports competition

5. the protective outer covering of an animal, such as the shell of a turtle

6. physics a structure of concrete, lead, etc, placed around a nuclear reactor or other source of radiation in order to prevent the escape of radiation

7. a broad stable plateau of ancient Precambrian rocks forming the rigid nucleus of a particular continent See Baltic Shield Canadian Shield

8. short for dress shield

9. civil engineering a hollow steel cylinder that protects men driving a circular tunnel through loose, soft, or water-bearing ground

10. informal

    1. short for the Sheffield Shield

    2. short for the Ranfurly Shield

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verb

1. (tr) to protect, hide, or conceal (something) from danger or harm

shield Scientific  

/ shēld /

1. A wall or housing of an absorbing material, such as concrete or lead, built around a nuclear reactor to prevent the escape of radiation.

2. A structure or arrangement of metal plates or mesh designed to protect a piece of electronic equipment from electrostatic or magnetic interference.

3. A large geographic area where rocks of a continent's craton (the ancient, relatively undisturbed portion of a continental plate) are visible at the surface. A shield is often surrounded by platforms covered with sediment.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shielder
  noun
• shieldlessness
  noun
• undershield
  noun
• shieldless
  adjective
• shieldlike
  adjective
• unshielded
  adjective
• unshielding
  adjective
• shieldlessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shields
  plural

Participles

• shielding
  present
• shielded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shield
  simple
• shields
  simple
• have shielded
  perfect
• has shielded
  perfect
• am shielding
  progressive
• are shielding
  progressive
• is shielding
  progressive
• have been shielding
  perfect progressive
• has been shielding
  perfect progressive

Past

• shielded
  simple
• had shielded
  perfect
• was shielding
  progressive
• were shielding
  progressive
• had been shielding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shield
  simple
• will have shielded
  perfect
• will be shielding
  progressive
• will have been shielding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shield

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English shelde, Old English sceld; cognate with Dutch, German Schild, Gothic skildus; (verb) Middle English shelden, Old English sceldan, scildan, derivative of the noun

Explanation

A shield is a cover that protects whatever is behind or beneath it. If you carry a shield you might be a knight, or a traffic cop who likes to flash the badge. Ancestors of the word shield include the Old English scild, similar to sciell, or "shell," which suggests the meaning of the word. If you're a turtle, you might use your shell as a shield. But a shield doesn't have to be something physical. Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once said, "Love is my sword, goodness my armor, and humor my shield." The word can also be used as a verb. You might shield your tender ears from hearing naughty words. Don't worry, shield is perfectly safe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shield shields shielded shielding

Marrying into British royalty did not shield Meghan from criticism, speculation and attacks by the press — it appeared to have the opposite effect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Scientists have long thought that worker bees help shield queens from contamination by filtering harmful substances out of the food they provide.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

She says Nègre offered to shield her with his jacket.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

He might conjure up a protective bubble, let’s say, to shield a town from hostile aliens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

It was not yet an igloo, but it helped to shield us from the bitter wind.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

This protectionism instead shields U.S. ship-builders from competition while raising transportation costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Enamel is the hard outer covering that shields teeth from pressure, temperature changes, acids, and everyday wear.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

Ultimately, the tracks would be complemented with multiple sound walls and shields, the latter clear structures designed to block coaster rumbles and audience screams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Together, these cases established a consistent rule: Federal authority shields private actors from state accountability only when federal involvement is real, specific, and congressionally authorized.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

A woman shields her face as she runs with a book and towel across the grass.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The catering truck, which typically loads in-flight meals, parked on the right side of Air Force One, partially shielded from media cameras.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Some napped on a beach with their faces shielded from the sun by plastic bags or T-shirts, while others rested with backpacks tucked beneath their heads.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

It would dramatically raise the amount of home value that’s shielded from property taxes, going from the current $25,000 to $150,000 next year.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Every extra turn helps those shielded behind him, leaving more in the tank for the finish.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Milo shielded his eyes with one hand and waved the other desperately, but the colors continued to grow brighter and brighter and brighter, until an even more curious thing began to happen.

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster

The plastic table she has set up to try to sell a few last items brought from home, and the umbrella shielding her from the relentless sun, were bought with donations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Mayor Karen Bass’ press relations office communicates through WhatsApp messages that auto-delete every 24 hours, potentially shielding the messages from public records requests, according to three sources familiar with the office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

With 54 minutes on the clock, Ben Gannon-Doak let out a roar, clenched his fist and punched the air after shielding the ball out for a Scotland goal-kick.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

A VPN encrypts all the data sent to and from users’ phones, shielding them from hackers who might be trying to steal it.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026

Buttercup did not know how long she was out, but they were still in the boat when she blinked, the blanket shielding her.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Related Words

• conceal
• cover
• defend
• safeguard
• shelter