protect
verb OPAL W
/prəˈtekt/
/prəˈtekt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they protect | /prəˈtekt/ /prəˈtekt/ |
| he / she / it protects | /prəˈtekts/ /prəˈtekts/ |
| past simple protected | /prəˈtektɪd/ /prəˈtektɪd/ |
| past participle protected | /prəˈtektɪd/ /prəˈtektɪd/ |
| -ing form protecting | /prəˈtektɪŋ/ /prəˈtektɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to make sure that somebody/something is not harmed, injured, damaged, etc.
- protect somebody/something/yourself to protect children/citizens/civilians/consumers/workers
- Our aim is to protect the jobs of our members.
- the section of the treaty that protects the rights of employees
- Each company is fighting to protect its own commercial interests.
- A majority of Democrats believe that such regulations protect the public.
- protect somebody/something/yourself against something Troops have been sent to protect aid workers against attack.
- protect somebody/something/yourself from something They huddled together to protect themselves from the wind.
- protect against something a paint that helps protect against rust
- protect from something Vitamin B12 may have a role in protecting from heart disease.
Extra ExamplesTopics The environmenta2- He felt it was his duty to protect the child.
- Keep the camera well protected at all times.
- a cream that helps to protect your skin against the sun
- Protect the exposed areas of wood with varnish.
- Some pieces of music are protected by copyright.
- a star who jealously protects her right to privacy
- a constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech
- The equality of women is protected under law.
- The new measures are designed to protect the public from people like these.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- fully
- adequately
- …
- need to
- seek to
- strive to
- …
- against
- from
- with
- …
- be aimed at protecting something
- constitutionally protected
- federally protected
- …
- [transitive, usually passive] protect something to introduce laws that make it illegal to kill, harm or damage a particular animal, area of land, building, etc.
- a protected area/species
- the need to protect the environment
- to be protected by something Polar bears have been protected by law in Norway since 1973.
- The plant is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Extra ExamplesTopics The environmenta2- Many of these sites—of immense scientific interest—are not legally protected.
- a federally protected game preserve
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- fully
- adequately
- …
- need to
- seek to
- strive to
- …
- against
- from
- with
- …
- be aimed at protecting something
- constitutionally protected
- federally protected
- …
- [transitive, usually passive] protect something to help an industry in your own country by taxing goods from other countries so that there is less competition
- protected markets
Extra Examples- The Far Eastern markets are heavily protected.
- We must take steps to protect the UK as a manufacturing base.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- fully
- adequately
- …
- need to
- seek to
- strive to
- …
- against
- from
- with
- …
- be aimed at protecting something
- constitutionally protected
- federally protected
- …
- [transitive, intransitive] protect (somebody/something) (against something) to provide somebody/something with insurance against fire, injury, damage, etc.
- Many policies do not protect you against personal injury.
- [transitive] protect something (against/from something) (computing) to limit access to data, a web page, etc., for example by using passwords or encryption (= special codes)
- Security products are designed to protect information from unauthorized access.
- All these pages are password-protected.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin protect- ‘covered in front’, from the verb protegere, from pro- ‘in front’ + tegere ‘to cover’.