protect
protect
verb
OPAL W
/prəˈtekt/
1 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.
TOPICS The environment A2
Collocations
adverb
completelyfullyadequately…
verb + protect
need toseek tostrive to…
preposition
againstfromwith…
phrases
be aimed at protecting somethingconstitutionally protectedfederally protected…
2 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.
TOPICS The environment A2
3 ​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
4 ​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.
5 ​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 Origin
late Middle English: from Latin protect- ‘covered in front’, from the verb protegere, from pro- ‘in front’ + tegere ‘to cover’.