Protect
Definition
Example
"Parents protect their children from danger and teach them safe habits."
"Laws are created to protect citizens and ensure everyone feels safe in their communities."
"We should protect the environment by saving water, planting trees, and reducing plastic use."
Explanation
To protect means to keep someone or something safe from harm, danger, or damage. When you protect a person, animal, object, or place, you guard them and try to stop bad things from happening. For example, people protect their children and families, umbrellas protect us from rain, police protect citizens, and covers protect phones from breaking. Protection can be physical, like wearing a helmet, or emotional, like supporting someone. The word is formed from pro, meaning “in front”, and tect, meaning “to cover”, giving the idea of covering something in front to keep it safe, which naturally developed into the modern meaning of keeping something safe from harm.