as in territory
a small country that is controlled and protected by a larger one
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Recent Examples of protectorate
The Crimean Khanate became a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire, where the two groups frequently engaged in trade.
—
Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The Kremlin has consolidated its de facto protectorate in Belarus and fostered close ties with politicians in Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, and the Moldovan opposition.
—Jeffrey Mankoff, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2025
France had claimed the island as a protectorate, in 1842; by the time Gauguin arrived, the bamboo buildings in the capital, Papeete, had been replaced by travesties of brick and iron.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
Determined to gain at least suzerainty over the island – which would have made Haiti a protectorate of France – Louis XVIII rebuked the two commissioners Boyer sent to Paris in 1824 to try to negotiate an indemnity in exchange for recognition.
—Marlene L. Daut, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for protectorate
Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The Kremlin has consolidated its de facto protectorate in Belarus and fostered close ties with politicians in Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, and the Moldovan opposition.
—Jeffrey Mankoff, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2025
France had claimed the island as a protectorate, in 1842; by the time Gauguin arrived, the bamboo buildings in the capital, Papeete, had been replaced by travesties of brick and iron.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
Determined to gain at least suzerainty over the island – which would have made Haiti a protectorate of France – Louis XVIII rebuked the two commissioners Boyer sent to Paris in 1824 to try to negotiate an indemnity in exchange for recognition.
—Marlene L. Daut, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for protectorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protectorate
Noun
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Four of their five scoring drives started in Packers’ territory.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
27 Sep. 2025
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The auction house has high hopes for the over-the-top hypercar and estimates that its gavel price could reach into eight-figure territory.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For the next eight years, the PTC — a group that clearly had a social agenda — had the opportunity to whisper in the ears of commissioners from the FCC, a group that by both history and mandate clearly did not.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
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Wilson said she was especially disturbed that Ladapo, who is Black, compared mandates to slavery.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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When traffic collapsed after a major search algorithm update, the team reworked audience acquisition to reduce single-source dependency.—
Jon Stojan,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
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As a purist, Murray defines sobriety as being completely abstinent from habit-forming substances that could cause dependency, including prescription drugs like Xanax and Suboxone.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Protectorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protectorate. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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