shielding

noun

shield·​ing ˈshēl-diŋ 

plural shieldings

: something that shields or protects

Options include a night-vision camera, under-body blast shielding to help protect against land mines and bombs, as well as radiation detection devices.

—Chantal Eustace

It sounds impressive, but the only difference between multimedia speakers and plain old loudspeakers is magnetic shielding to protect your monitor.

—Jonathan Karl Matzkin

especially : a device or screen that protects against harmful radiation

The radioactive metals must be treated behind heavy shielding by remote control …

—Leon Svirsky

This capsule was sealed in a tungsten wheel the size of a tricycle tire, which was then placed behind thick lead shielding. Radiation emitted through a pinhole in the lead was used to treat patients with localized cancers.

—Sandra Blakeslee

Examples of shielding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Constraining the number of impact events will be important as engineers design shielding for a future Moon base. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026

During reëntry, only a few inches of heat shielding will separate their feet from the exterior of the spacecraft, which will warm to five thousand degrees—about half as hot as the surface of the sun. —David W. Brown, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

Given the remarkable radiation tolerance displayed by the molds discovered at Chernobyl, fungi might also provide radiation shielding — Maurer imagines growing thin layers of them inside the inflated buildings to shield the astronauts living within. —Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026

Such areas would be pretty tight but would offer up even more shielding. —Leonard David, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

shield entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shielding

• wielding
• yielding
• unyielding