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protects

verb

present tense third-person singular of protect
as in defends
to drive danger or attack away from the mother bear was just trying to protect her cubs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of protects The security model that protects your people is a great foundation for your security model for agents. — Sumit Dhawan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026 French officials and many educators say secularism in public schools and other institutions protects less observant and nonreligious people from pressure while leaving everyone free to worship in private. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 Ruggedization protects your drive from the elements, while encryption guards your data should your SSD or HDD be lost or stolen. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 Their challenge is to give him a way forward that protects them from further attacks without drawing them deeper into the war. — Becky Anderson, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 No, there is something right with such a country, one whose First Amendment protects free speech. — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2026 About 50,000 doses are intended for front-line and health workers, while 20,000 doses will be used in a clinical trial to study whether the vaccine protects against Bundibugyo virus. — Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026 SpaceX will use this imagery to study and potentially improve the heat shield, which protects Ship during its return trip through Earth's atmosphere. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Your patient leadership keeps friends aligned, and your careful math protects long-term goals, such as saving for training. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protects
  1. defends
  2. shields
  3. safeguards
  4. guards
Verb
  • Having taken home the top spot on the 50 Top Pizza list three years in a row and coming in a respectable second place in this edition, Una Pizza Napoletana defends its aptonym well.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Welcome to a Thursday Nightcaps — the one where Paige Spiranac says goodbye to summer and defends Sydney Sweeney as the wokes continue to melt down over her sports gambling ad.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of defends
Verb
  • The injunction shields members who use pronouns or names assigned at birth when referring to transgender people.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • At the federal level, attempts have been made to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which shields firearm makers and dealers from civil liability.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of shields
Verb
  • Nearly eight in ten Florida voters support maintaining our long-standing school vaccine safeguards.
    — Kas Miller, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Summary The federal government traditionally safeguards investors through disclosure, oversight, and enforcement.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of safeguards
Verb
  • Anthropic closely guards its training data sources, but music publishers think the court should require more transparency.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Liberty guards Marine Johannes and Pauline Astier are both looking forward to the opportunity to represent France during the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup tournament.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of guards

Browse Nearby Words

protectors
protects
protégé
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Protects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protects. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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