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
Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
The Surgeon General's office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are banned for 10 years from wielding legal, regulatory or economic pressure to persuade the platforms to remove protected speech.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
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
The Senate on Monday, March 9, passed Senate File 579, which expands the state's 2025 law eliminating gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act to local governments and imposes new constraints on local civil rights panels' powers.
—Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register, 10 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
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
Steve Svekis, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
The defendants are seeking to dismiss his suit, arguing in court filings that they are protected by prosecutorial immunity and that Baldwin has failed to state a claim.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
This constantly evolving phenomenon of wildfire is really in need of active research so that communities and states and towns are able to be protected.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
The Tate necklace has a stack of three chains, including a tennis, hera, and bezel-set, and is designed with a stainless steel protective coating that’s water-resistant, so it’s protected against tarnishing.
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
What follows is a gripping rescue effort shaped by a community’s extraordinary courage, as well as an investigation into the uneven systems that govern whose lives get to be protected.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
The timber rattlesnake is the only snake listed as endangered in Connecticut due to habitat loss and protected under state law.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Make sure chicken coops and livestock are protected.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
Their status remains protected pending a decision from the Supreme Court.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
If your income comes primarily from protected sources like Social Security or disability benefits, a court judgment may pose little immediate threat.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
The Surgeon General's office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are banned for 10 years from wielding legal, regulatory or economic pressure to persuade the platforms to remove protected speech.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
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
The Senate on Monday, March 9, passed Senate File 579, which expands the state's 2025 law eliminating gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act to local governments and imposes new constraints on local civil rights panels' powers.
—Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register, 10 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
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
Verb
The draft pick was top-10 protected in 2026, and with the Panthers owning the eighth-worst record in the NHL this season, the worst that pick can be after the draft lottery is 10th, as a maximum of two teams can potentially move up past the Panthers in that lottery.
—Steve Svekis, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
The defendants are seeking to dismiss his suit, arguing in court filings that they are protected by prosecutorial immunity and that Baldwin has failed to state a claim.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
This constantly evolving phenomenon of wildfire is really in need of active research so that communities and states and towns are able to be protected.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
The Tate necklace has a stack of three chains, including a tennis, hera, and bezel-set, and is designed with a stainless steel protective coating that’s water-resistant, so it’s protected against tarnishing.
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
What follows is a gripping rescue effort shaped by a community’s extraordinary courage, as well as an investigation into the uneven systems that govern whose lives get to be protected.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
The timber rattlesnake is the only snake listed as endangered in Connecticut due to habitat loss and protected under state law.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Make sure chicken coops and livestock are protected.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
Their status remains protected pending a decision from the Supreme Court.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 16 Apr. 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
-
John Deere signed a memorandum of understanding in 2023 that partially addressed those concerns, providing third parties with the technology to diagnose and repair, as long as its intellectual property was safeguarded.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
8 Apr. 2026
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Protect Civilian Infrastructure All sides should cease strikes on civilian targets and critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, desalination plants and safeguarded nuclear sites, in line with international humanitarian law.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 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
-
How Edwards and Murray are guarded could evolve over the course of the series.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Witcher said that the area where the rip current claimed the lives of two adults was not being guarded with lifeguards.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Leon’s invention secured interest from Gaston himself, who came to see him in Venezuela in 1987.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In 2025 district attorneys filed charges in four cases referred to their offices and secured convictions in three.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It would be built beneath Sherman Park, federal land southwest of the White House, to provide a more secure place to screen those going on White House tours or attending events.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The bunker will include medical facilities and secure communications, among other installations.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Protected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protected. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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