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protest

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To publicly show against.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prohtest

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹoʊtɛst

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitivechiefly canadaus

    To publicly demonstrate against.

  2. intransitive

    To make a strong objection.

  3. Affirm or avow formally or solemnly

  4. To object to.

  5. To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to.

noun

  1. A formal and solemn declaration of objection

    “They finished the game under protest to the league president.”

  2. A formal objection, especially one by a group.

  3. A collective gesture of disapproval; a demonstration.

  4. The noting by a notary public of an unpaid or unaccepted bill.

  5. A written declaration, usually by the master of a ship, stating the circumstances attending loss or damage of ship or cargo, etc.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To make a strong objection.

Used this way, protest is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use protest

  • “He shouted his protests at the umpire.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

protest movementstudent protest

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • protesternounInflected form

    A person who dissents from some established policy.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • protest marchnounCompound term

    Occasion when you can express opposition by marching (usually on some government institution) without a license.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: formal and solemn declaration of objection

protestation

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.