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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of protected
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
By choosing a jurisdiction with strict privacy laws and tougher limits on photographing children, Clooney is effectively arbitraging legal regimes the way multinational corporations arbitrage tax codes—only here the protected asset is family life, not corporate profit.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 31 Dec. 2025
Massie posted a letter on Wednesday from an FBI whistleblower’s attorney, who raised concerns about the bureau allegedly moving to retaliate against his client for making a protected disclosure to Congress related to the case, prompting a response from Bongino.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Nov. 2025
Oregon lawmakers added gender identity as a protected class under state anti-discrimination law in 2021.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 15 Oct. 2025
Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
The Wizards hope that an early lottery pick will join that nucleus this offseason, but the team owes a top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick to the New York Knicks.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The whole property was outfitted with dark sky-friendly lighting, which ensures that views of the Milky Way and northern lights are protected.
—Megan Eaves, Outside, 20 Feb. 2026
The lawyers who flanked Gisèle Pelicot in court, protected her from cameras, took her to lunch every day so that she wouldn’t be intimidated by seeing some of the men who were on trial for assaulting her drinking beer and laughing together in a nearby café.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
The focus wasn’t on rebuilding itself, but on the gray area that emerges late in the year when draft positioning, protected picks and lineup decisions intersect in ways that can blur competitive intent.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
Cells called melanocytes produce the pigment eumelanin in response to sunlight, which makes the skin darker and better protected from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Keep your items close and protected The amount of local scams and pickpockets in many European cities is a constant issue for travelers.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
Review your insurance coverage to ensure your assets and family are adequately protected.
—Joanna Rotenberg, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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
By choosing a jurisdiction with strict privacy laws and tougher limits on photographing children, Clooney is effectively arbitraging legal regimes the way multinational corporations arbitrage tax codes—only here the protected asset is family life, not corporate profit.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 31 Dec. 2025
Massie posted a letter on Wednesday from an FBI whistleblower’s attorney, who raised concerns about the bureau allegedly moving to retaliate against his client for making a protected disclosure to Congress related to the case, prompting a response from Bongino.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Nov. 2025
Oregon lawmakers added gender identity as a protected class under state anti-discrimination law in 2021.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
As a child, Sky Roberts remembers how his big sister Virginia protected him.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
The Wizards hope that an early lottery pick will join that nucleus this offseason, but the team owes a top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick to the New York Knicks.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The whole property was outfitted with dark sky-friendly lighting, which ensures that views of the Milky Way and northern lights are protected.
—Megan Eaves, Outside, 20 Feb. 2026
The lawyers who flanked Gisèle Pelicot in court, protected her from cameras, took her to lunch every day so that she wouldn’t be intimidated by seeing some of the men who were on trial for assaulting her drinking beer and laughing together in a nearby café.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
The focus wasn’t on rebuilding itself, but on the gray area that emerges late in the year when draft positioning, protected picks and lineup decisions intersect in ways that can blur competitive intent.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
Cells called melanocytes produce the pigment eumelanin in response to sunlight, which makes the skin darker and better protected from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Keep your items close and protected The amount of local scams and pickpockets in many European cities is a constant issue for travelers.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
Review your insurance coverage to ensure your assets and family are adequately protected.
—Joanna Rotenberg, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protected
Adjective
-
It is designed with advanced stealth features to reduce its radar signature and improve survivability in heavily defended airspace.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 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
-
Nancy Guthrie's home was safeguarded by a Nest doorbell camera, a common security option for many Americans.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
-
All those billion plus users need to upgrade to ensure their phones and data are safeguarded.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The facility is a shielded argon glovebox engineered to handle both irradiated and nonirradiated actinide materials.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 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
-
Both public parks and private allotments served as compensation for a long process of enclosing public commons to make the urban and rural landscapes of today, in which territories are divided, fenced, and often guarded.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
-
He’s guarded some of the best players in the league.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
So, if you're overwhelmed by both secured and unsecured balances, prioritize the unsecured debts that are more flexible when negotiating forgiveness or settlements.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
This means everything needs to be taken into consideration, from the use of entities to secured obligations and contractual governance.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Heller recalls being phoned by Smith about three years ago to praise the novel and secure permission to adapt it.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Weld County Investigators said the leaves were left in a secure area to dry, then bagged, weighed and booked into evidence.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Protected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protected. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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