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

The former Coronation Street star had been voted as the most trustworthy by her peers in episode one and given a shield, but that counted for little by episode four.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The actress became visibly emotional as she recounted the events of the crypt and attempted to justify grabbing the shield before offering it to Fry.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Macron responded with massive spending programs to shield companies and households from the fallout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Enormous expected earnings growth has helped to shield AI stocks so far.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026

She couldn’t believe that a shield with a red dragon on it was a coincidence, seeing as the dragon in Anya’s barn had been red.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

What are Israel's Iron Dome and other missile shields?

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Even back in 13th century Imperial China, the lengthy talons grown by nobility and the delicately carved brass nail shields which usually guarded them were a symbol of a life unmarred by manual labour.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

It has a liberal side—secure property rights, courts that constrain the state—that shields entrepreneurs from arbitrary state power, ranging from selective prosecution to outright expropriation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

“I’ll build us protective masks with shields and everything,” O’Dell said, his eyes wide with the concept of it.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Legal experts say the industry’s claim to be shielded by federal law is weak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Even inside the government, the CIA’s involvement was shielded; the National Security Agency was the official buyer, according to Dain Ehring, who worked with Romello on the NeXT contract.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Its heads are usually shielded from sunlight by the leaves, but in this year more light is reaching them and turning them yellow.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

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

Her face was half hidden by the arm she was leaning on, her eyes shielded by the fingers of one hand.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Underground lava tubes could provide more stable temperatures and natural shielding from these dangers.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

The shielding effect wasn’t as pronounced in September, but regardless, Emanuel expects it will again help during future selloffs.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

But he notes that many consumers locked in low mortgage rates in recent years, shielding them from higher rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

I was asked in 2020 to make a film about my favourite place as I was shielding because of the Covid risk - I had to choose Strumpshaw Fen!

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

I glanced up, shielding my eyes from the sun with my vine-stained right hand.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• conceal
• cover
• defend
• safeguard
• shelter