Definition of protect
transitive verb
1a : to cover or shield from exposure, injury, damage, or destruction : guardb : defend 1c protect the goal
2 : to maintain the status or integrity of especially through financial or legal guarantees: such asa : to save from contingent financial lossb : to foster or shield from infringement or restriction salesmen with protected territories protect one's rights; specifically : to restrict competition for (something, such as a domestic industry) by means of tariffs or trade controls
3 : defend 5 protect a lead
intransitive verb
: to provide a guard or shield protects against tooth decay
protectively
adverbprotectiveness
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
Examples of protect in a Sentence
He had no raincoat to protect himself from the rain.
She keeps her jewelry protected in a safe.
You have to protect your business against fraud.
New laws have been passed to protect your privacy.
The forest is protected by federal law.
The high taxes on imported goods are intended to protect domestic producers.
Sunscreen helps to protect against sunburn.
The insurance protects you against flooding.
The insurance does not protect against damage caused by earthquakes.
Recent Examples of protect from the Web
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To protect its ad business, Google has tried to improve user experiences in other ways.
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In sports, protecting your teammates -- no matter what the situation -- is the norm.
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He has been shot at, rocketed and mortared while trying to protect the troops behind him.
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But the president has drawn a narrow definition of national security, and one aspect of defense would actually receive less money: protecting the nation from deadly pathogens, man-made or natural.
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But White House officials repeatedly defended the Trump’s approach, noting the president’s responsibility to protect American interests.
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In the aftermath of that incident, Energy Transfer Partners turned to TigerSwan — a company with a deep background in counterterrorism operations — to oversee the work of the other security companies contracted to protect the pipeline.
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NORD’s spokeswoman, Jennifer Huron, says her organization protects patients’ privacy and isn’t aware of Alexion nurses gathering contact details.
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A long, healthy blade helps protect the grass in less-than-ideal environments.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'protect'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Synonym Discussion of protect
PROTECT Defined for English Language Learners
protect
playDefinition of protect for English Language Learners
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: to keep (someone or something) from being harmed, lost, etc.
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: to save (someone) from financial loss caused by fire, injury, damage, etc.
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sports : to try to stop opponents from scoring at (your goal)
PROTECT Defined for Kids
Law Dictionary
protect
Legal Definition of protect
1 : to shield from injury or harm protecting public health and safety
2 : to secure or preserve against encroachment, infringement, restriction, or violation : maintain the status or integrity of especially through legal or constitutional guarantees protect a work against copyright infringement the First Amendment protects speech
3 : to restrict competition for (as domestic industries) by means of tariffs or trade controls
protectable
orprotectible
adjectiveLearn More about protect
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See words that rhyme with protect Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for protect Spanish Central: Translation of protect Nglish: Translation of protect for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of protect for Arabic speakers
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