protect

verb

prə-ˈtekt How to pronounce protect (audio)
Definition of protectnext
as in to defend
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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word protect different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of protect are defend, guard, safeguard, and shield. While all these words mean "to keep secure from danger or against attack," protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.

a hard hat to protect your head

When is defend a more appropriate choice than protect?

The words defend and protect can be used in similar contexts, but defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.

defend the country

When is it sensible to use guard instead of protect?

In some situations, the words guard and protect are roughly equivalent. However, guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.

White House entrances are well guarded

When can safeguard be used instead of protect?

Although the words safeguard and protect have much in common, safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.

our civil liberties must be safeguarded

When would shield be a good substitute for protect?

While in some cases nearly identical to protect, shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.

shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand

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 protect Sources close to the negotiations, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, are optimistic that talks will result in a renewal — but until it is agreed, the concerns linger. —James McNicholas, New York Times, 4 July 2025 The Evolutionary Appeal of Independence Humans are wired to protect autonomy. —Scott Hutcheson, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025 No one disputes that a government’s first responsibility is to protect its own citizens. —Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 Agnes has born the brunt of the harshness of the world, and Ada has been protected. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for protect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protect
  1. defend
  2. safeguard
  3. shield
  4. guard
Verb
  • Tesla heads to federal court in Miami on Monday to defend its Autopilot system in a wrongful death case involving the death of a 22-year-old college student.
    — Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 14 July 2025
  • And the company defended its driver-assistance systems.
    — Joel Rose, NPR, 14 July 2025
Definition of defend
Verb
  • Shaping and adapting strategies that will safeguard digital infrastructure and foster a secure technological environment for the future is a critical path.
    — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • The Jennings family chose to safeguard their property with a conservation easement with the Land Trust for Tennessee.
    — Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 13 July 2025
Definition of safeguard
Verb
  • However, her growing prominence couldn't shield her from the pressures of censorship.
    — Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
  • Although the afternoon storm had mostly passed, the emerging sun was almost entirely shielded by a thick canopy of trees, and fat drops of rain from the branches kept our windshield wipers working.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 July 2025
Definition of shield
Verb
  • In the first quarter, Clark was being guarded closely and well out from beyond the 3-point line.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
  • During a recent interview in Rolling Stone, Murph was guarded but self-reflective.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
Definition of guard

Browse Nearby Words

protean
protect
protected
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Protect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protect. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on protect

Nglish: Translation of protect for Spanish Speakers

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