as in defended
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as in safeguarded
to drive danger or attack away from
the mother bear was just trying to protect her cubs
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Recent Examples of protected
Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Sweeney did concede that the uncertainty around two of the four first-round picks (the Toronto pick this year is top-5 protected and the Florida pick next year is top-10 protected) added to the reticence to move any of them.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
The 1993 case did not consider political expression as a protected class.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 3 Mar. 2026
In addition to the anxiety over Monday's ruling, Petit said, Haitians under protected status were living amid an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in areas with large Haitian communities in South Florida.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Isabella Rodriguez, Florida elections director at Citizens Defending Freedom, said religion is also a protected class.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Each guest room and suite has a unique layout and design, as is the case when transforming a historic and protected building into a hotel.
—Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
On Friday, the zoo began moving several of its animals into protected areas of the Kendall-area attraction and kept warm with extra bedding hay, along with external heating sources like heat lamps, radiant heaters and heated floor pads.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2026
All the villas are secluded, surrounded by trees, well back from the main path and removed from the beach, so the lights don’t disorient the protected sea turtles.
—Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 20 Mar. 2026
On Thursday night, Campbell responded to the letter, stating that most of the claims Harold mentioned in the letter take issue with his personal opinion, which is protected under First Amendment rights and his role as a journalist and commentator.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
But that number doesn’t include the animals used in most experiments — rats, mice, birds and fish — since none are protected under the Animal Welfare Act.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
Others increase the income threshold that must be protected.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
There is only so much that can be protected against.
—Emily Brindley
health Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Graduate students in tie-dye shirts worked under fume hoods; on the glass that protected them from chemicals, synthesis reactions were scribbled in black marker.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The Nile monitor is not native to Florida and is not protected in the state except by anti-cruelty law, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The anti-discrimination law, which adds family or relationship structure as a protected class in the city alongside race, religion, gender and other categories, was finalized Monday and will go into effect in mid-April.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Sweeney did concede that the uncertainty around two of the four first-round picks (the Toronto pick this year is top-5 protected and the Florida pick next year is top-10 protected) added to the reticence to move any of them.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
The 1993 case did not consider political expression as a protected class.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 3 Mar. 2026
In addition to the anxiety over Monday's ruling, Petit said, Haitians under protected status were living amid an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in areas with large Haitian communities in South Florida.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Isabella Rodriguez, Florida elections director at Citizens Defending Freedom, said religion is also a protected class.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Each guest room and suite has a unique layout and design, as is the case when transforming a historic and protected building into a hotel.
—Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
On Friday, the zoo began moving several of its animals into protected areas of the Kendall-area attraction and kept warm with extra bedding hay, along with external heating sources like heat lamps, radiant heaters and heated floor pads.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2026
All the villas are secluded, surrounded by trees, well back from the main path and removed from the beach, so the lights don’t disorient the protected sea turtles.
—Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
In January 2026, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released plans to open up parts of Southern California, including public land adjacent to national and state parks, protected coastlines, and waterways.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 20 Mar. 2026
On Thursday night, Campbell responded to the letter, stating that most of the claims Harold mentioned in the letter take issue with his personal opinion, which is protected under First Amendment rights and his role as a journalist and commentator.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
But that number doesn’t include the animals used in most experiments — rats, mice, birds and fish — since none are protected under the Animal Welfare Act.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
Others increase the income threshold that must be protected.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
There is only so much that can be protected against.
—Emily Brindley
health Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Graduate students in tie-dye shirts worked under fume hoods; on the glass that protected them from chemicals, synthesis reactions were scribbled in black marker.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The Nile monitor is not native to Florida and is not protected in the state except by anti-cruelty law, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protected
Adjective
-
Such endurance is central to the aircraft’s role in long-range deterrence operations and potential missions in heavily defended regions.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That framework should also ensure that children are protected, censorship is prevented, copyrights are respected, and communities are safeguarded.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The delay allowed the announcement to coincide with a day of particular religious importance in the Shiite calendar, but also to make sure he is safeguarded from attacks the United States and Israel are bound to conduct against him.—
Kay Armin Serjoie,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Astronomers typically find such volatile ices only in very cold and shielded environments, such as dense molecular clouds, the envelopes surrounding young stellar objects, or the disks where planets form.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
As is customary, terms of the settlement were not revealed and will likely remain shielded by non-disclosure and non-disparagement language.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cooper Flagg was heavily guarded in the left corner by Dyson Daniels with the shot clock winding down and tossed the ball to Naji Marshall, but the pass was picked off by Jalen Johnson.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
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The play was designed to be a lob to 6-foot-1 Emma Walker, but 5-foot-11 Maren Powell guarded her perfectly to prevent that opportunity.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That’s also how Trump secured funding for immigration enforcement.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Creditors confronting both foreign trustees and secured interests must evaluate the cost of untangling each layer.—
Ascend Agency,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Designed for modern professionals, this sleek backpack features anti-theft design elements to keep laptops and other devices extra secure.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The agency said Thursday that the truck has been placed in an undisclosed, secure location and deferred to questions about the status of the plane to Air Canada, which didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.—
Philip Marcelo,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Protected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protected. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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