Synonyms of protect

protect

verb

prə-ˈtekt 

as in to defend

to drive danger or attack away from

the mother bear was just trying to protect her cubs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defend
• safeguard
• shield
• guard
• keep
• secure
• fend
• prevent
• save
• fence
• preserve
• ward
• cover
• conserve
• bulwark
• screen
• stand up for
• forfend
• withstand
• resist
• avert
• oppose
• war
• fight
• contend
• buffer
• battle
• picket
• wall
• palisade

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attack
• assault
• assail
• beset
• overrun
• submit
• yield
• cave
• bombard
• storm
• besiege
• capitulate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word protect different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of protect are defend, guard, safeguard, and shield. While all these words mean "to keep secure from danger or against attack," protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.

a hard hat to protect your head

When is defend a more appropriate choice than protect?

The words defend and protect can be used in similar contexts, but defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.

defend the country

When is it sensible to use guard instead of protect?

In some situations, the words guard and protect are roughly equivalent. However, guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.

White House entrances are well guarded

When can safeguard be used instead of protect?

Although the words safeguard and protect have much in common, safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.

our civil liberties must be safeguarded

When would shield be a good substitute for protect?

While in some cases nearly identical to protect, shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.

shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of protect

The troops have not taken part in law enforcement and largely have been protecting landmarks including the National Mall and Union Station and helping with crowd control. —Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025

European leaders and Ukraine’s president left the White House Monday somewhat relieved by Trump’s assurances to protect post-war Ukraine, but so far the US leader has offered little in the way of details beyond suggesting potential air support. —Semafor Staff, semafor.com, 22 Aug. 2025

They’re aimed at protecting the logistics routes for the troops – as the style of combat shifts from traditional artillery and tanks to the dominance of drone warfare. —Rebecca Wright, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025

The policy sought to let undocumented migrants move freely in public spaces while allowing exceptions for serious threats, dangerous felons and imminent harm, as well as to protect evidence. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025