protéger

/pʁɔ.te.ʒe/

to protect

Il faut protéger les enfants des dangers.

We must protect children from dangers.

general

To defend or shield someone or something from harm, danger, or damage.

Le gouvernement doit protéger les citoyens.

The government must protect its citizens.

Un casque protège la tête.

A helmet protects the head.

Commonly used in both physical and abstract contexts.

Collocations

protéger quelqu'unto protect someoneprotéger contreto protect againstprotéger deto protect from

Synonyms

défendre sauvegarder garantir

Antonyms

exposer mettre en danger

Related Phrases

protéger ses arrièresidiom

to cover one's back

Pro Tip

Preposition Choice

Use 'contre' for general protection and 'de' for specific threats.

Gold Rule

Reflexive Use

Can be reflexive ('se protéger') when referring to self-protection.

Word Origin

From Latin 'protegere', meaning 'to cover, shield'.

Usage Notes

Often used with prepositions 'contre' (against) or 'de' (from).

Word Breakdown

pro-

forward, in favor of

prefix

-téger

to cover, shield

root

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais