protectivepro‧tec‧tive /prəˈtektɪv/ ●○○ adjective 
protective clothing Sunscreen provides a protective layer against the sun’s harmful rays.2wanting to protect someone from harm or dangerprotective towards I can’t help feeling protective towards my kids.protective of He’s very protective of his younger brother.3intended to give an advantage to your own country’s industry: protective tariffs—protectively adverb—protectiveness noun [uncountable]
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- protective gloves
- a protective tariff on foreign textiles
- A dog may feel protective towards family members, and attack people who go near them.
- Burke was not wearing protective gear when the accident happened.
- Motorcyclists must wear protective helmets.
- My dad is very protective of me and has never liked any of my boyfriends.
- Remove the disk from its protective packaging.
- Society's attitude towards children who live in the streets is not always protective.
- Some countries have taken more drastic protective measures to save the rhinos.
- Wear protective glasses when working with the saw.
- Grand Forks County emergency protective measures also weren't available Monday.
- Health hazards arise since full protective clothing is unbearable in a tropical climate, even if the poor farmers could afford it.
- His expression was stern, full of protective responsibility.
- It was only natural for them to become as protective of Bapi as they were of the tiniest infants in their care.
- Many boots have a protective rubber or composition rand around the welt to prevent water getting in.
- One worker would have suffered fatal burns had he not worn a protective chemical suit which was not routine for repair work.
- The government could impose restrictions on trade, grant monopolies to some industries, or favor others with protective laws.
- Workers frequently discover untended fires built on uncleared ground without protective rock rings.
Longman Language Activatorsomething that protects someone or something
something that protects you against harm or damage: protection against: · Their light summer clothes were no protection against the bitter cold.give/provide protection (=protect someone): · Vitamin C provides some protection against minor illnesses.protection from: · At the time, the law gave women very little protection from violent husbands.
protective clothes, covers, substances etc protect someone or something from being hurt or damaged: · Wear protective glasses when working with the saw.· Motorcyclists must wear protective helmets.· Remove the disk from its protective packaging.protective gear/clothing: · Burke was not wearing protective gear when the accident happened.
a place where you will be protected from danger or from bad weather: · It began to rain and we all ran for shelter. shelter of: · William hurried towards the shelter of the old cowshed.take shelter (=find a safe place): · People took shelter from the flooding in churches and schools on high ground.bomb shelter (=a place, usually underground, that is safe from bombs): · Underground stations in London were used as bomb shelters during the Second World War.
an object or material that protects someone or something from harm or damage: · Suncream acts as a kind of shield against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.· The spacecraft is covered in a material that acts as a heat shield.· Before operating this machine, make sure the safety shield is in place.
something that is, for example, fixed to a machine or worn on a part of your body, in order to provide protection against damage or injury: · You can buy guards for electric sockets that make it impossible for little children to stick their fingers into the holes.· Football players are strongly advised to wear shin guards.
a piece of clothing or equipment that you wear or hold to protect a part of your body: · Hockey goalies wear a chest protector that is similar to the one a catcher in baseball wears.· A pocket protector will prevent ink staining your shirt.
something, for example a law or rule, that provides protection against danger, problems, or failure: · There's a safeguard built into the tenancy agreement that says the landlord must give you three months' notice to quit.· Anti-virus software is a simple safeguard that many computer users have not bothered to install.safeguard against: · As a safeguard against misuse, memorize your PIN number immediately and destroy this advice slip.
wanting to protect people wanting to protect someone from harm or danger, often in a way that stops them behaving freely: · Society's attitude towards children who live in the streets is not always protective.protective of: · My dad is very protective of me and has never liked any of my boyfriends.protective towards: · A dog may feel protective towards family members, and attack people who go near them.
too anxious about wanting to protect someone from harm, danger etc in a way that seriously restricts that person's freedom, or stops them developing the skills they need for dealing with normal life: · My wife says I'm being overprotective, and that our daughter has grown into a responsible young woman.overprotective mother/father/parent: · a spoilt rich kid with an overprotective mother
British to protect someone too much by not allowing them to experience difficult or unpleasant situations, so that they find it difficult to deal with such situations when they have to: · I'm getting better, and I have no intention of spending my life wrapped in cotton wool.
WORD SETSabsolute advantage, active population, additionality, nounadjustable peg, nounannual earnings, anti-dumping, adjectiveanti-inflation, adjectiveausterity, nounbad debt, nounbalance of payments, nounbalance of trade, nounbalance sheet, nounbank money, bank rate, nounbankrupt, adjectivebankrupt, verbbankrupt, nounbarrier to trade, nounbilateralism, nounblack market, nounboom, nounbroad money, brown goods, nounbudget, nounCACM, capital accumulation, nouncapital formation, nouncapitalism, nouncapitalist, adjectivecapital surplus, cartel, nouncentral government borrowing requirement, CGBR, Chicago School, nounclosed economy, nouncommerce clause, commodity, nouncommodity product, comparative advantage, consumer, nounconsumer confidence, nounconsumer durables, nounconsumer goods, nounconsumer price index, nounconsumer surplus, consumption, nounconsumption function, nounCost of Production Theory of Value, nouncreditor turnover rate, nouncredit rationing, noundebt ratio, deflate, verbdemand, noundemand and supply, noundemand price, demonstration effect, deregulate, verbdeveloped, adjectivedirigisme, noundiscretionary spending, dishoarding, noundisinflation, noundisposable income, noundis-saving, noundisutility, noundiversify, verbdivision of labour, noundole queue, dollars-and-cents, adjectivedowntick, noundownturn, noundrawdown, nouneconomic, adjectiveeconomic goods, economic paradigm, economist, nouneconomy, nounefficient market, elasticity of demand, nounelasticity of substitution, nounembargo, verbemployment theory, euro-zone, exchange, nounExchange equalization account, exchange rate mechanism, nounexpectations, nounexpenditure, nounexternal account, external competitiveness, externality, nounfactor cost, factor of production, nounFederal funds, fiscal, adjectivefloor, nounflow of funds, nounforced saving, for-profit, adjectivefree enterprise, nounfree marketeer, nounfree movement, nounfree trade, nounGDP, nounGNP, nounGoldilocks economy, goods, noungoods and services, noungross domestic product, noungross national product, noungross product, nounguaranteed price, hyperinflation, nounIMF, the, IMF quota, imperfect competition, imperfect market, import, nounimport, verbimportation, nounimporter, nounincome effect, industrial output index, Industrial Sentiment index, inelastic, adjectiveinflate, verbinflation, nouninflationary, adjectiveintermediate goods, International Monetary Fund, nouninvestment goods, J-curve, nounknowledge economy, labour-intensive, adjectivelabour market, nounLaffer curve, nounlaissez-faire, nounliving standard, nounMaastricht Treaty, nounmacroeconomics, nounmarginal revenue, market-driven, adjectivemarket economy, nounmarket failure, market forces, nounmarket-led, adjectivemarket-oriented, adjectivemarket value, nounmixed economy, nounmonetarism, nounmonetary, adjectivemoney income, monopsony, nounmultilateralism, nounNAIRU, nounnational debt, nounnational income, nationalize, verbnational wealth, neocolonialism, nounnet output, NIC, nounnominal price, non-durable goods, open-market, adjectiveoutflow, nounoverheated, adjectivepass-along, nounpass-through, nounpeg, verbper-capita income, perfect competition, perfect market, personal saving, political economy, nounpost-industrial, adjectivePPI, price control, nounprice effect, price fixing, nounprice-fixing, nounprice index, nounprice-insensitive, adjectiveprice-sensitive, adjectiveprice support, nounprice theory, primary production, private enterprise, nounprivately-owned, adjectiveprivatization, nounprivatize, verbproducer price index, production control, protect, verbprotectionism, nounprotective, adjectivepublic enterprise, public ownership, nounpublic sector borrowing requirement, public service, nounPurchasing Managers' index, real, adjectivereal income, recession, nounreflation, nounrefund, nounRetail Price Index, scarcity value, nounshakeout, nounSingle European Market, slump, nounsocial accounting, socioeconomic, adjectivesqueeze, verbsqueeze, nounstagflation, nounstandard of living, nounstandard spending assessment, staple, nounstringent, adjectivesubsidy, nounsubstitution effect, surplus, nounsystematic risk, trade deficit, nountrade dispute, trade gap, nountrade surplus, nountrade-weighted index, trickle-down effect, nountrough, nountrust, noununder-investment, noununit of account, noununsystematic risk, uptick, nounvoodoo economics, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The children were taken into protective custody.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
· Laboratory technicians have to wear special protective clothing.
(=custody that is meant to keep someone safe)· The rebel leader has been placed in protective custody.
· Employers must provide safety equipment, and make sure it is used.
· Protective gloves and a safety helmet are worn to minimize injury.
The children were taken into protective custody.· But Mark Nicholas, his captain, took a rather more protective attitude.· As for censorship, some governments will be more protective of their cyberspace than others.· I think they should have been more protective.
· They were an elderly and well-meaning couple who appeared very protective towards her.· And they were very protective of me the entire day.· The authorities had become very protective, and one hardly blamed them.· He was very protective about you.· You were very protective back there in the cab.· George was very protective towards Lennie.
NOUN· However, many new serums act as a protective barrier and seem to improve hair suppleness, too.· Wooden planters filled with annuals formed a low protective barrier around the perimeter.· As a small child my nose just tipped over the protective barriers.· The Rhode Island company also piled up other protective barriers.· The simplest protective barrier is a geographical one, namely to conduct the training away from other centres of activity within the organisation.· Saunders' body was lying against him as he tried to manoeuvre it against the protective barrier.· You poke it up and in before the action begins, thus providing a protective barrier against pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.· By progressively melting and falling off, an ablative heat shield can form a very effective protective barrier.
· Obviously, you have to wear quite a lot of protective clothing to minimise the risk of getting injured.· The inquest heard Mrs Weaver was an experienced horsewoman with the correct protective clothing and headgear.· Hazardous materials should be provided in such a way that the appropriate protective clothing should automatically be provided.· The self is a muffled self: it wears a suit of protective clothing.· Health hazards arise since full protective clothing is unbearable in a tropical climate, even if the poor farmers could afford it.· Embalmers are advised of the protective clothing required both for handling the chemicals and the deceased persons themselves.· Voice over Firefighters wearing special protective clothing made their way through the dense smoke towards the fuel flask.
· This gives a protective coating, and also stops the bogwood staining the water brown.· The paint that puts the skids under barnacles is being adopted by Porter International for protective coatings in the United States.· All major protective coatings manufacturers will be faced with the same issues.· Normally, the drug itself is retained by a protective coating which conceals its taste.
· Once the ground has lost its protective cover of vegetation it quickly turns to desert.· I touched my green card in my jacket pocket and felt the plastic protective cover between my fingers.· You knew she'd be there tonight, which is why you needed me as protective cover.· It requires putting a protective cover on the site, pumping out the contaminated substance, and then treating it.· Therefore some early thought should be given to protective covers and storage.· The heat of the launch was dealt with by the boost protective cover.· The photograph was worn and cracked at the corners: it had been much handled before being placed in its protective cover.
· But that we are being held in protective custody in a special private clinic.
· The crab effectively parasitises these protective devices for its own ends by placing the anemone on its shell.
· They also show a protective effect of pregnancy and current use of the contraceptive pill.· The protective effects of alcohol seen in this study were not strong enough, however, to overcome the effects of smoking.· The presence of significant amounts of haemoglobin F has a protective effect against sickling and such individuals express relatively mild disease.· The protective effect of helmets was seen among riders in all age groups, including children.· However, the mechanism of these protective effects as well as the proposed inhibitory effect of phosphate have hardly been studied invivo.· Neuroleptic medication provides some kind of protective effect against relapse.· Melanin producing cells in our bodies are activated by ultraviolet light from the sun and can have a protective effect.· These findings suggest that anaerobic bacterial activity has a protective effect on the ileal mucosa.
· They also revealed that employers were trying to cut costs on essential precautions such as vaccination and protective equipment and clothing.· Personal protective equipment is defined as all equipment designed to be worn or held to protect against a hazard.· Last, but not least, all protective equipment should be worn and safety rules honored.· They should set an example by observing rules and regulations, using protective equipment, etc.
· An interesting, yet largely unexplored area relates to protective factors that tend to prevent the expression of eating disorders.· Affluence was hardly a protective factor for car owners.· The vulnerability factors are argued to contribute to low self-esteem, or, as protective factors, to high self-esteem.· Their finding suggests that pregnancy may confer on some women a protective factor making them less likely to act on suicidal urges.
· Just the helpless-looking type to bring out Al Moore's protective instincts.· I have a protective instinct toward you.· His protective instincts thoroughly aroused, he changed roles.· It was the President, of course, who was the final object of their protective instincts.· Her protective instincts were wonderful to watch.· He looked over to the childlike form on his bed and felt a protective instinct so strong he almost wept.· Beneath Lais's brittle facade there was a childlike quality that brought out the protective instinct in him.
· High up in the sky was a protective layer of gas that screened out dangerous ultraviolet rays from the sun.· They replace essential moisture whilst forming a protective layer to hold it in.· That was until Norman Tebbit spotted what he believed was the biggest chance of holing the impenetrable protective layer around the bill.· Lifting the lid she flung aside the protective layers of tissue-paper.
· The report advises the use of sun cream and wide-brimmed hats as protective measures.· Grand Forks County emergency protective measures also weren't available Monday.· Environmental protective measures are suspended in the name of the economy, disrupting what had begun as a movement toward global sustainability.
· Glutathione is an important constituent of intracellular protective mechanisms against a number of noxious stimuli including oxidative stress.· It is important, however, to recall the protective mechanism against brain shrinkage.· It's a very necessary protective mechanism.· This is an important protective mechanism.· They over-ride the normal protective mechanisms associated with pain.· Prominent among the protective mechanisms that are controlled by nociceptive neurones is the microcirculation of the gastric mucosa.· Hyperplasia is in fact initiated by the fish itself as a protective mechanism in response to hostile water conditions or parasite infestations.
· Law, order and the protective services account for 5.4%, Transport 4%, Environmental services 3.3% and Housing only 2.4%.· Now, the protective services agency is under fire for its performance.
· Further modification and mineralisation eventually produced two flat protective shells.· I suspect a bird had found and eaten the caterpillars before they were finished spinning their protective shell.· Beneath the wariness and studied detachment that made for a near-impenetrable protective shell, Alvin was lonelier than ever.· The first views came when the robot had already entered the atmosphere, and had discarded its protective shell.
· I kept my head down and the heavy bag well to the fore as a protective shield.· These networks put a high premium on education and formed a strong protective shield for those who had gone far from home.
· Cobden's hero was the trader, who had no use for protective tariffs which impeded the expansion of commerce between nations.· High protective tariffs penalized the peasant consumer.· The highest protective tariffs were lowered, and the tax system was somewhat reformed.
· Alternatively they can seek to avoid the protective wall by setting up subsidiaries and branches within the Community.· The music blasted through the closed door and protective walls like a hounding monster.· For the first thousand years or so of their existence, those earliest little towns were able to survive without protective walls.
WORD FAMILYnounprotectionprotectorprotectionismprotectionistprotectivenessprotectorateadjectiveprotected ≠ unprotectedprotectiveprotectionistverbprotectadverbprotectively
1[only before noun] used or intended for protection: protective clothing Sunscreen provides a protective layer against the sun’s harmful rays.2wanting to protect someone from harm or dangerprotective towards I can’t help feeling protective towards my kids.protective of He’s very protective of his younger brother.3intended to give an advantage to your own country’s industry: protective tariffs—protectively adverb—protectiveness noun [uncountable]