protégé

noun

pro·​té·​gé ˈprō-tə-ˌzhā How to pronounce protégé (audio)
ˌprō-tə-ˈzhā
: one who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence

Examples of protégé in a Sentence

He was a protégé of the great composer.
Recent Examples on the Web Han has a new protege, Li Fong, and is his mentor figure, just like Mr. Miyagi was to Daniel, Han explains. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 But the fit with Riley, an Air Raid protege of Leach, felt seamless. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024 The campaign evidently achieved a Davis Gates objective last week when Johnson, her political protege, demanded Martinez’s resignation — a request the schools CEO bravely ignored. David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2024 Gabriel Attal, Macron’s protege and the outgoing prime minister, has vowed never to enter into alliance with Melenchon. Christian Edwards, CNN, 7 July 2024 Hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who came to power in 2021, had pushed the program forward. Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024 Former Chief Daryl Gates was an avid jogger, while Ed Davis, who led the department for much of the 1970s, was a golfer, which led their proteges to pound the pavement or hit the links. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024 In 1922, Bachrach’s protege broke a world’s record held by Duke Kahanamoku, a celebrated Hawaiian swimmer. Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2024 His origin story begins in the late 1980s, when Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, then Mexico’s most important cocaine trafficker, sat down with several of his proteges — including Zambada — to divide control of different drug routes. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'protégé.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from past participle of protéger to protect, from Middle French, from Latin protegere

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of protégé was in 1786

Dictionary Entries Near protégé

Cite this Entry

“Protégé.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

protégé

noun
pro·​té·​gé ˈprōt-ə-ˌzhā How to pronounce protégé (audio)
: a person under the care or training of someone influential especially for the furthering of his or her career
Etymology

French, from protéger "to protect"

More from Merriam-Webster on protégé

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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