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Synonyms

protect

American

[pruh-tekt] / prəˈtɛkt /

verb (used with object)

to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc.; cover or shield from injury or danger.

Synonyms:

shelter, screen

Antonyms:

attack
Economics. to guard (the industry or an industry of a nation) from foreign competition by imposing import duties.
to provide funds for the payment of (a draft, note, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to provide, or be capable of providing, protection.

a floor wax that protects as well as shines.

protect British

/ prəˈtɛkt /

verb

to defend from trouble, harm, attack, etc
economics to assist (domestic industries) by the imposition of protective tariffs on imports
commerce to provide funds in advance to guarantee payment of (a note, draft, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See defend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of protect

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin prōtēctus “covered in front,” past participle of prōtegere “to cover in front,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + tegere “to cover” (akin to toga, thatch )

Explanation

Whether it’s your reputation or your jewelry, when you protect something you keep it safe from anything that might threaten or harm it. The word protect came into English by way of the Latin verb protegere, a combination of pro- meaning “in front,” and tegere, meaning “to cover.” When you protect something, in a way you’re covering it or shielding it from harm. Often the word is used in the sense of protecting something, like a valued item or a person, but you can also protect against something. For example, you might get a flu shot to protect against the flu virus.

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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:

protect protects protected protecting

And unlike many people whose vocal chords are their livelihood, Araujo says he has few ritualistic habits to protect his voice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Faux explained that, theoretically, yes, there are many ways that Bitcoin could serve the marginalized and oppressed: It could be used in international remittances; it could protect wealth against irresponsible governments.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

"I see more and more local communities getting together to protect them."

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

To Norway’s child services group, the Barnevernet, the Bodnarius were a model of the progressive but necessary systems put in place to protect children.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

Every now and then a kite would swoop down over the waterfowls’ nests, causing a commotion as the parents tried to protect their hatchlings.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

The law also expressly protects the parental rights of the intended parents by requiring the surrogate to surrender the child to them immediately upon birth.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Regulation that becomes a box-checking litany can cause companies to relax safeguards if they think it protects them from liability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

CMS has said it protects against inappropriate denials by linking vendors’ payments to quality scores that take into account the timeliness and accuracy of decisions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

His legislation protects the McCloud River, which feeds Shasta Reservoir.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The algorithm is a rule that protects the doctors from being swamped with too much information—the same way that the rule of agreement protects improv actors when they get up onstage.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Skilled skimmer-builders are especially protected by the groups, she noted, rarely using stolen cards lest they get caught.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Residents have to leave, food must be protected or removed, and the treatment does not leave behind lasting protection against termites that arrive later.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

While the career of some talented prospects is carefully nurtured, Teasdale may not have been as well protected.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The built river protected L.A. from the worst of its flooding, but created its own problems.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

“Then why is your home not protected by enchantments?”

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Macron added that the government had been tasked with protecting critical infrastructure and the "most sensitive" defence industry and technology sites against drone and cyberattacks.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Thames Water said the latest leak had been fixed and it remained committed to protecting local wildlife sites.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Meanwhile, 88% of young Latina voters said protecting immigrant communities is very important, compared to 60% of young Latino men.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Mistral, for its part, has been a staunch defender of open-weight models, saying they give users the flexibility to tailor them to their needs while protecting their data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

He was a leader of the legion now, doing what he was born to do—fighting the enemies of Rome, upholding its legacy, protecting the lives of his friends and comrades.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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