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# protective

«protective» in Mova's school dictionary: **Made to keep someone or something safe from harm:…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (protective, more protective, most protective)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Made to keep someone or something safe from harm: "protective gloves", "protective goggles". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#m1)

2) Wanting to keep someone safe, sometimes too much: "Mum is very protective of the baby." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons pupils wear protective goggles; in sport, players wear protective helmets and pads. In nature, some animals have a protective shell or colour. In stories, a protective big sister looks after a younger child. Phrases: protective clothing, protective of, protective gear, protective layer.

### examples

- Wear protective goggles during the experiment. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#x1)
- A tortoise has a hard protective shell. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#x2)
- Cyclists wear protective helmets. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#x3)
- The mother bear was very protective of her cubs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#x4)
- The firefighters put on their protective clothing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#x5)
- Grandpa is protective of his old garden tools. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#x6)
- Sunscreen gives your skin a protective layer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/#x7)

### note

Adjective from the verb "protect"; the noun is "protection". "Protective of" someone means wanting to keep them safe. Safety: protective gear only works if you wear it properly, for example a helmet must be fastened. Being too protective can stop someone from trying things themselves.

### In the corpora

- ["Protective custody" means keeping a prisoner alone for their own safety.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/27-crime-prison-and-police/17/)
- [Cows with calves can be very protective and can trample people.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/28-farm-animals-and-horses/19/)
- [Before touching a fish you will release, wet your hands so you do not rub off its protective slime coat.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/305-fishing-practising-and-shared-gear/8/)
- [Big sisters are often bossy and protective in the same morning.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/500-the-big-sister-bossy-protective-borrowing-your-stuff/0/)
- [Big sisters are often bossy and protective at the same time; both come from feeling responsible.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/500-the-big-sister-bossy-protective-borrowing-your-stuff/32/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «protective» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/protective/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.