1
general::
protect
to keep someone or something safe from harm, damage, or illness:
• Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. • The government wants to protect the environment. • Eating healthily helps to protect against many diseases.
give/offer/provide protection
to protect someone from something harmful:
• Wearing a hat offers some protection from the sun. • The drug can give protection against cancer. • The law provides no protection.
guard
to protect a person, place, or object by staying near them and watching them:
• Police officers guarded the entrance to the building. • He is guarded by armed men.
save
to protect someone or something when they are in danger of being harmed or destroyed:
• Local people are fighting to save the theatre from demolition. • Emergency aid could save millions of people who are threatened with starvation.
preserve
to keep something, especially buildings or the environment, from being harmed, destroyed, or changed too much:
• The organization works to preserve forests. • There is little money for preserving historic buildings.
safeguard
to protect something important, such as people’s rights, interests, jobs, health etc:
• The deal will safeguard 200 jobs at the factory. • Laws should do more to safeguard the rights of victims.
shield
to put something in front of something else to protect it. Also used to talk about protecting people from unpleasant situations:
• He lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the light. • They thought the public should be shielded from the truth.
shelter
to provide a place where someone or something is protected from the weather or from danger:
• The village is sheltered by a belt of trees. • His family had sheltered Jews during the war.
harbour
British English , harbor American English to help and protect someone who has done something illegal, and prevent the police from finding them:
• He is accused of harbouring suspected terrorists.
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
verb ADV. fully | adequately, properly, suitably | inadequately | carefully | effectively, successfully | jealously, rigorously a star who jealously protects her right to privacy VERB + PROTECT need to | seek to, strive to, try to | act to, fight to Each company is fighting to protect its own commercial interests. | take steps to We must take steps to protect the UK as a manufacturing base. | help (to) | serve to | be designed to PREP. against a cream that helps to protect your skin against the sun | from The new measures are designed to protect the public from people like these. | with Protect the exposed areas of wood with varnish. PHRASES be aimed at protecting sth, a desire/duty/need to protect sb/sth He felt it was his duty to protect the child. | heavily/highly protected The Far Eastern markets are heavily protected (= with high taxes for imported goods). | legally/officially/specially protected Many of these sites?of immense scientific interest?are not legally protected. | measures to protect sb/sth, poorly/well protected Keep the camera well protected at all times.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary