protect
part of speech
verb (protect, protects, protected, protecting)
meaning for a pupil
1) To keep someone or something safe from harm, danger or damage. tree →
2) To guard something so that it is not lost, taken or spoiled. tree →
3) Of a law or rule: to keep people's rights or a place safe by not allowing certain things. tree →
sense in the lessons
Interpretation: Isaiah compares God to hovering birds guarding Jerusalem. The tradition reads this as God's care for the city, shown at the Passover rescue in Egypt. In the primary lessons: In safety lessons it tells what keeps us from getting hurt: helmets protect heads, sunscreen protects skin, seat belts protect passengers. In science: skin, shells, fur and bones protect bodies; trees protect soil from wind. In stories a hero or parent protects the weak. Phrases: protect from, protect against, protect yourself, protected animals, protected area, protective clothing.
examples
- As birds hovering, so will the LORD of hosts protect Jerusalem; He will deliver it as He protecteth it, He will rescue it as He passeth over. (Prophets ISA.31.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- A helmet protects your head if you fall off your bike. tree →
- Sunscreen protects your skin from the sun. tree →
- The mother bird protects her chicks from the cat. tree →
- A turtle's shell protects its soft body. tree →
- Wear goggles to protect your eyes in the science lab. tree →
- Big brothers sometimes protect their little sisters at the playground. tree →
- The law protects wild birds, so you must not take their eggs. tree →
- Gloves protect your hands from the cold. tree →
- Put the password on to protect your tablet. tree →
- Besides, Dorothy will need someone to protect her.” tree →
note
Regular verb: protected, protecting. Usually «protect someone FROM or AGAINST something». The noun is «protection» (uncountable), the adjective «protective». Protecting is not the same as hiding: a coat protects you but you still go out. Not used in maths for numbers.
In the corpora
- Grown-ups worry about it too, and sometimes they switch it off to protect you and themselves.
- Parents may switch off the news to protect children from scary pictures, and they worry about it themselves.
- Influencers must say when a post is a paid advert; asking "is someone paid to say this?" protects you.
- Many lorises are caught illegally for the pet trade and have their teeth pulled out; all lorises are protected by international law.
- Giant anteaters walk on their knuckles to protect long front claws, which rip open hard termite mounds and can fight off a jaguar.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «protect» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.