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
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Officials said the outreach will also include information about changes affecting certain non-citizens, including refugees, asylees and others with protected status.
—City News Service, Daily News, 1 May 2026
The extra height makes the space feel more protected and cozy.
—Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
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
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
The mansion is protected by a conservation easement with the Missouri Preservation Society, protecting the house and a one-foot radius around it from being torn down.
—Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
The group dropped two previous ballot measures that would have protected people’s right to hire legal counsel and increased Uber’s liability for injured passengers.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
Taxonomy is important not only as the foundation of biology, but also because a species can’t be protected against the threat of extinction if it isn’t named.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Facebook, led by Silicon Valley billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, said its Restricted Goods and Services Policy prohibits content involving the trade in endangered and protected animals and plants.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
The brief from Swift’s lawyers argues that, regardless of other factors, the pop star’s album title is protected by the First Amendment.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 May 2026
These tanks needed to be swift, well-protected, and capable of delivering high volumes of firepower, without being extremely cumbersome or heavy.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
It's specifically engineered to take on heavy armored vehicles protected by modern reactive armor, including the Kontakt-1, Kontakt-5, and Relikt systems.
—David Szondy
may 07, New Atlas, 7 May 2026
Adjective
An informed voter is a protected democracy.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Officials said the outreach will also include information about changes affecting certain non-citizens, including refugees, asylees and others with protected status.
—City News Service, Daily News, 1 May 2026
The extra height makes the space feel more protected and cozy.
—Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
Progress has been made, but it must be protected.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
The mansion is protected by a conservation easement with the Missouri Preservation Society, protecting the house and a one-foot radius around it from being torn down.
—Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
The group dropped two previous ballot measures that would have protected people’s right to hire legal counsel and increased Uber’s liability for injured passengers.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
Taxonomy is important not only as the foundation of biology, but also because a species can’t be protected against the threat of extinction if it isn’t named.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Facebook, led by Silicon Valley billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, said its Restricted Goods and Services Policy prohibits content involving the trade in endangered and protected animals and plants.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
The brief from Swift’s lawyers argues that, regardless of other factors, the pop star’s album title is protected by the First Amendment.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 May 2026
These tanks needed to be swift, well-protected, and capable of delivering high volumes of firepower, without being extremely cumbersome or heavy.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
It's specifically engineered to take on heavy armored vehicles protected by modern reactive armor, including the Kontakt-1, Kontakt-5, and Relikt systems.
—David Szondy
may 07, New Atlas, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protected
Adjective
-
Some defended efforts by staff to correct the books, while others demanded answers on how the accounting error had gone unnoticed through three full audit cycles.—
Mona Darwish,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
-
The extended range allows aircraft to strike without entering heavily defended zones, reducing risk to pilots and platforms.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Asylum seekers should be protected, families must remain together, and workers should be safeguarded from exploitation.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
Our elections must be safeguarded from foreign interference.—
Kevin Fixler
May 3,
Idaho Statesman,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
The ship itself is packed with detail from turrets through to tiny shielded hangars.—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
1 May 2026
-
Purchasing a shielded Ethernet cable means the wires are protected from electromagnetic interference, so the cables operate more efficiently.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Urban, who is guarded about his personal life, extends that thinking to his work as well.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
There, in the scorching desert, guarded by fences and video surveillance, this fish swims around in a sunken fishbowl made of rock that's been its only natural home for millennia.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
According to the evaluation, 83% of participants receiving housing subsidies remained housed after one year, exceeding the program’s retention goal, while 56% of 460 participants studied obtained subsidies and secured housing.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
The site design also features restroom facilities, laundry machines, internet access and a secured perimeter with around-the-clock onsite security.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My goal is an immigration system that is secure, orderly and humane.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Each customer’s data remains in their own secure environment and is used only to train their models.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Protected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protected. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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