PROTECTION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does protection mean? 

• PROTECTION (noun)
  The noun PROTECTION has 7 senses:

1. the activity of protecting someone or something

2. a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury

3. defense against financial failure; financial independence

4. the condition of being protected

5. kindly endorsement and guidance

6. the imposition of duties or quotas on imports in order to protect domestic industry against foreign competition

7. payment extorted by gangsters on threat of violence

  Familiarity information: PROTECTION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROTECTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The activity of protecting someone or something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

the witnesses demanded police protection

Hypernyms ("protection" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "protection"):

shielding (the act of shielding from harm)

air cover (the use of military aircraft to provide protection against attack by enemy aircraft during ground or naval operations)

civil defense (activities organized by civilians for their own protection in time of war or disaster)

sealing; waterproofing (the act of treating something to make it repel water)

ruggedisation; ruggedization (the act of making a piece of equipment rugged (strengthening to resist wear or abuse))

care; charge; guardianship; tutelage (attention and management implying responsibility for safety)

immunisation; immunization (the act of making immune (especially by inoculation))

covering (the act of protecting something by covering it)

accompaniment; escort (the act of accompanying someone or something in order to protect them)

locking; lockup (the act of locking something up to protect it)

self-defence; self-defense; self-protection (the act of defending yourself)

patrol (the activity of going around or through an area at regular intervals for security purposes)

inoculating; vaccinating (the act of protecting against disease by introducing a vaccine into the body to induce immunity)

defence; defense (protection from harm)

defence; defense (the act of defending someone or something against attack or injury)

momism; overprotection; overshielding (excessive protection)

preservation; saving (the activity of protecting something from loss or danger)

insulation (the act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity)

Derivation:

protect (shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

protection; protective cover; protective covering

Context example:

wax provided protection for the floors

Hypernyms ("protection" is a kind of...):

covering (an artifact that covers something else (usually to protect or shelter or conceal it))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "protection"):

shade (protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight)

screen (a protective covering consisting of netting; can be mounted in a frame)

lamp shade; lampshade; shade (a protective ornamental covering for a lamp, used to screen a light bulb from direct view)

roof (protective covering on top of a motor vehicle)

roof (a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building)

mulch (a protective covering of rotting vegetable matter spread to reduce evaporation and soil erosion)

mask (a protective covering worn over the face)

liner; lining (a protective covering that protects an inside surface)

faceplate (a protective covering for the front of a machine or device (as a door lock or computer component))

sheath (a protective covering (as for a knife or sword))

overlay; overlayer; sheathing (protective covering consisting, for example, of a layer of boards applied to the studs and joists of a building to strengthen it and serve as a foundation for a weatherproof exterior)

shelter (protective covering that provides protection from the weather)

shield (a protective covering or structure)

dashboard; splashboard; splasher (protective covering consisting of a panel to protect people from the splashing water or mud etc.)

splasher (a protective covering over or beside a wheel to protect the upper part of a vehicle from splashes of mud)

testudo (a movable protective covering that provided protection from above; used by Roman troops when approaching the walls of a besieged fortification)

thumbstall (protective covering for an injured thumb)

toecap (a protective leather or steel cover for the toe of a boot or shoe, reinforcing or decorating it)

splashboard; washboard (protective covering consisting of a broad plank along a gunwale to keep water from splashing over the side)

bonnet; cowl; cowling; hood (protective covering consisting of a metal part that covers the engine)

armor; armour (protective covering made of metal and used in combat)

bell glass; bell jar (a bell-shaped glass cover used to protect and display delicate objects or to cover scientific apparatus or to contain gases)

binder; ring-binder (holds loose papers or magazines)

back; binding; book binding; cover (the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book)

blind; screen (a protective covering that keeps things out or hinders sight)

armguard; bracer (a protective covering for the wrist or arm that is used in archery and fencing and other sports)

cap (something serving as a cover or protection)

cloche (a low transparent cover put over young plants to protect them from cold)

coaster (a covering (plate or mat) that protects the surface of a table (i.e., from the condensation on a cold glass or bottle))

cold frame (protective covering consisting of a wooden frame with a glass top in which small plants are protected from the cold)

crystal; watch crystal; watch glass (a protective cover that protects the face of a watch)

dust cover (a removable plastic protective covering for a piece of equipment)

cladding; facing (a protective covering that protects the outside of a building)

fall-board; fallboard (the hinged protective covering that protects the keyboard of a piano when it is not being played)

escutcheon; finger plate; scutcheon (a flat protective covering (on a door or wall etc) to prevent soiling by dirty fingers)

heat shield (a protective covering that protects a spacecraft from overheating on reentry)

housing (a protective cover designed to contain or support a mechanical component)

Derivation:

protect (shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Defense against financial failure; financial independence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

protection; security

Context example:

insurance provided protection against loss of wages due to illness

Hypernyms ("protection" is a kind of...):

assets (anything of material value or usefulness that is owned by a person or company)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "protection"):

easy street (financial security)

hedge; hedging (any technique designed to reduce or eliminate financial risk; for example, taking two positions that will offset each other if prices change)

insurance (promise of reimbursement in the case of loss; paid to people or companies so concerned about hazards that they have made prepayments to an insurance company)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The condition of being protected

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

protection; shelter

Context example:

he enjoyed a sense of peace and protection in his new home

Hypernyms ("protection" is a kind of...):

security (the state of being free from danger or injury)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "protection"):

indemnity; insurance (protection against future loss)

radioprotection (protection against harmful effects of radiation)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Kindly endorsement and guidance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

aegis; auspices; protection

Context example:

the tournament was held under the auspices of the city council

Hypernyms ("protection" is a kind of...):

endorsement; indorsement (the act of endorsing)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The imposition of duties or quotas on imports in order to protect domestic industry against foreign competition

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

protection; trade protection

Context example:

he made trade protection a plank in the party platform

Hypernyms ("protection" is a kind of...):

imposition; infliction (the act of imposing something (as a tax or an embargo))

Derivation:

protect (use tariffs to favor domestic industry)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Payment extorted by gangsters on threat of violence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

protection; tribute

Context example:

every store in the neighborhood had to pay him protection

Hypernyms ("protection" is a kind of...):

extortion (the felonious act of extorting money (as by threats of violence))

 Context examples 

Children, I leave you to Hannah's care and Mr. Laurence's protection.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

It did not provide protection against any other strain.

(Vaccine for Meningitis Shows Some Protection Against Gonorrhea, VOA)

When he saw me he slipped from under his curious protection and came towards me laughing, and yet, as I thought, with some confusion in his manner.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Steerforth continued his protection of me, and proved a very useful friend; since nobody dared to annoy one whom he honoured with his countenance.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In animal models, short-term therapy with this agent has been shown to provide long-term protection against breast cancer, mimicking the antitumor effects of pregnancy.

(Ethinyl Estradiol, NCI Thesaurus)

His two dogs stayed close by him, one on either side, leaning against him for protection, crying and whimpering, and at times snarling desperately when a wolf approached a little closer than usual.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Processes for data acquisition, validation, storage, protection, and processing.

(Data Management, NCI Thesaurus)

“Pollution threatens fundamental human rights, such as the right to life, health, well-being, safe work as well as protections of children and the most vulnerable,” co-author Karti Sandilya said.

(Pollution is the World’s No. 1 Killer, VOA)

The findings suggest breast cancer protection from pregnancy may not begin until as many as 30 years after the birth of the last child.

(Breast cancer protection from pregnancy starts decades later, National Institutes of Health)

Although some of the vaccines you receive as a child provide protection for many years, adults need immunizations too.

(Childhood Immunization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)