protest 1 of 2

protest

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word protest distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of protest are affirm, assert, avow, and declare. While all these words mean "to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection," protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt.

protested that he really had been misquoted

When can affirm be used instead of protest?

The synonyms affirm and protest are sometimes interchangeable, but affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith.

affirmed the existence of an afterlife

When would assert be a good substitute for protest?

While in some cases nearly identical to protest, assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence.

asserted that modern music is just noise

When is avow a more appropriate choice than protest?

The words avow and protest can be used in similar contexts, but avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared.

avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

When is it sensible to use declare instead of protest?

Although the words declare and protest have much in common, declare stresses open or public statement.

declared her support for the candidate

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 protest
Noun
By June, protests filled American streets with calls to abolish the police. Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025 Videos of the protest show immigration agents firing pepper balls at protesters outside the facility in Broadview, Illinois, that serves as a processing center for immigrants headed to agency locations outside Illinois. Michael Loria, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Karki has spent much of her career within the very establishment the youth are protesting against, yet her reputation as a fearless and incorruptible jurist has appealed to many young people in the country of 30 million. Sugam Pokharel, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025 Thousands of people from Kansas City and across Missouri have traveled to the Missouri Capitol over the past two weeks to protest the overhaul. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for protest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protest
Noun
  • The objections that stopped earlier attempts are now dissolving.
    Sandy Peng, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Libraries received only 12 formal objections since 2021 Changes brought by the supervisors' stand in contrast to how library administrators historically have dealt with book objections.
    Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Troost-Ekong Pushes Back Against Doubters Visionhaus/Getty Images Captain William Troost-Ekong drew on Nigeria’s history while insisting this is a fresh challenge.
    Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • In the lead-up to this revenge match, Rodgers insisted that this was Week 1, and only Week 1.
    Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • You also will be asked to copy a drawing of a shape or object and identify the animals in pictures.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • In this scene of the walking wounded, Bronze was speaking Spanish to the referee who objected to Bronze wearing the captain’s armband on her wrist.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But a butt dial revealed the truth about what actually happened, the complaint alleges.
    KC Baker, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The site provides links to 14 private and government groups that accept and act on complaints, including the FBI, the Better Business Bureau, the Social Security Administration, AARP, the SEC, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
    Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • American officials have alleged that North Korea is engaged in a long-running effort to use cyberattacks, cryptocurrency theft and IT contractors to gather information on behalf of the government in Pyongyang.
    Nino Paoli, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Cox was also asked about a Sunday New York Times report that alleged Robinson had communicated with others on Discord after the shooting.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Gil complained that the mound was slick, and the grounds crew came out to work on it in between innings.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Although the underlings complained about my methods, the cartel leaders, like Pedro and his boss, El Viejo, a key deputy of Pablo Escobar, were on my side.
    Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The only exception was the 2019 AFCON quarter-final, when Troost-Ekong struck an 89th-minute winner for the Super Eagles.
    Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The sole exception to the rule of the total privacy of color experience can be found in the television of the Gilligan’s Island era.
    Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In Budapest, after the uprising against the Communist regime, Andor — raised by his mother with idealized tales of his dead father — has his world turned upside down when a brutish man appears, claiming to be his true father.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Roughly $140,000 is claimed to have been spent on this car’s restoration by the consignor prior to its 2019 sale.
    Robert Ross, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Protest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protest. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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