protect

verb

(ambitransitive) To keep safe; to defend; to guard; to prevent harm coming to.

(travel, aviation) To book a passenger on a later flight if there is a chance they will not be able to board their earlier reserved flight.

Roots

propro- · Latin · forth, forward tego-tect · Latin · cover

Synonyms for protect

safeguardv defendv preservev upholdv ensurev conservev fendv insurev keepv securev

Synonyms & related words for protect

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of protect — including safeguard, defend, preserve, uphold, ensure, conserve. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to protect

Explore words related to protect — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include protection, protectively, protective, protector, overprotect, shielded, moated, stormproof. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for protect

Common synonyms for protect include safeguard, defend, preserve, uphold, ensure, conserve, fend, insure — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does protect come from?

The word protect breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: pro-, from Latin pro (“forth, forward”); and -tect, from Latin tego (“cover”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.