as in defenses
means or method of defending
the slightly built boy used his sharp wit as a shield against the school's bullies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in protects
to drive danger or attack away from
celebrities who are shielded by a cluster of bodyguards whenever they appear in public
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of shields
City News Service, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Opening Day festivities in Cincinnati ended with a series of disturbances Thursday evening that prompted police armed with nonlethal shotguns, pepper spray and riot shields to shut down The Banks and send hundreds of revelers home early.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Mar. 2026
Petals are gone or reduced to scalelike shields.
—David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
University policies and book contracts may offer veils of legitimacy and shields from legal liability.
—Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
The Florida law shields shooting ranges, specifically, from being sued as nuisances.
—Christopher Spata, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Fort Worth Zoo To prevent the chick from imprinting on humans, zookeepers used reflective shields, protective clothing and even an adult eagle puppet during feedings to mimic natural conditions and reinforce species-specific behaviors.
—Sergio Candido, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Another six dead roaches dotted kitchen area light shields.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
This extreme depth shields the detectors from cosmic rays and other background radiation that could obscure potential dark matter signals.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026
Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act typically shields them from liability for content posted by users.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The verdict was a big deal, showing how plaintiffs’ attorneys can sidestep Section 230, which shields platforms from liability for what users post.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
His words should prompt reflection on whether our nation’s silence serves justice or merely shields oppression.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
And the service culture, rooted in the Quranic virtue of hospitality, comes with a rare degree of social tolerance for an Islamic country; King Mohammed VI’s support for tourism effectively shields foreigners from harsh religious strictures.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
The news comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a case that could determine whether federal pesticide law shields manufacturers from certain health lawsuits.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Most American traders who use Polymarket access the site through a virtual private network, which shields a user's identity and location.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 1 Mar. 2026
Noun
Some protesters wearing shields and gas masks on the other side of a fence at the federal complex picked up the canisters and tossed them back at police.
—City News Service, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Opening Day festivities in Cincinnati ended with a series of disturbances Thursday evening that prompted police armed with nonlethal shotguns, pepper spray and riot shields to shut down The Banks and send hundreds of revelers home early.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Mar. 2026
Petals are gone or reduced to scalelike shields.
—David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
University policies and book contracts may offer veils of legitimacy and shields from legal liability.
—Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
The Florida law shields shooting ranges, specifically, from being sued as nuisances.
—Christopher Spata, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Fort Worth Zoo To prevent the chick from imprinting on humans, zookeepers used reflective shields, protective clothing and even an adult eagle puppet during feedings to mimic natural conditions and reinforce species-specific behaviors.
—Sergio Candido, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Another six dead roaches dotted kitchen area light shields.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
This extreme depth shields the detectors from cosmic rays and other background radiation that could obscure potential dark matter signals.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Wegovy pill has a special ingredient that shields it from some erosion, but people must still take it on an empty stomach to ensure it’s properly absorbed.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act typically shields them from liability for content posted by users.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The verdict was a big deal, showing how plaintiffs’ attorneys can sidestep Section 230, which shields platforms from liability for what users post.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
His words should prompt reflection on whether our nation’s silence serves justice or merely shields oppression.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
And the service culture, rooted in the Quranic virtue of hospitality, comes with a rare degree of social tolerance for an Islamic country; King Mohammed VI’s support for tourism effectively shields foreigners from harsh religious strictures.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
The news comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a case that could determine whether federal pesticide law shields manufacturers from certain health lawsuits.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Most American traders who use Polymarket access the site through a virtual private network, which shields a user's identity and location.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shields
Noun
-
Unfortunately for humans, several of these chemical defenses can cause painful skin reactions.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Iran offers a concrete example of how fast the character of a campaign can change once air defenses begin to fail.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The resort also supports the South Caicos Heritage Foundation, which protects surrounding coral reefs and often spearheads community clean-up initiatives.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Say goodbye to soggy subs thanks to the Sub Sandwich Container, which protects your sandwich on the go.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Don't go into a basement, or any room, if water covers the electrical outlets or if cords are submerged.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA Today.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Progressive lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently introduced a bill to pause all new data center construction until federal guardrails and safeguards are instituted for workers, communities and the environment.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The Teamsters also secured additional job protections within the tentative deal including safeguards against AI-powered routing systems and bans on the use of autonomous vehicles.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Her squid-ink flavor profile was one note, and her monkfish had a weirdly wet and spongy texture that Rhoda defends but that none of the judges can figure out.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which defends the LAPD in most civil lawsuits, generally does not comment on pending litigation as a matter of policy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Predator ranks growing California is struggling to manage the behavior of other predators whose ranks are growing thanks to the state’s conservation programs and endangered species protections.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Schulman, who did not respond to additional questions from KFF Health News, also raised concerns about a lack of data privacy protections.—
Amanda Seitz,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then Badgers guards John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, who had fueled a February upset of the Illini, took over.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In addition to Nacua, the group includes Pro Bowl linebacker Byron Young, guards Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson, and defensive end Kobie Turner.—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
My goal was to inspect calcium carbonate rocks, found near methane seeps at the base of the canyon walls, in search of methane-eating microbes.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Upgrades will require significant reinforcement of some walls and elevator shafts, though engineers have found ways to do the work by pouring new concrete footings and installing additional steel bracing without significantly impinging on internal spaces or being visible on exterior surfaces.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shields.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shields. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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