protruded; protruding
: to jut out from the surrounding surface or context
a handkerchief protruding from his breast pocket
Did you know?
Since trudere means "to thrust" in Latin, protrude means basically "to thrust forward". If your neighbors' patio protrudes over your property boundary, you may want to discuss it with them. A protruding disc in your spine may have to be operated on sooner or later; superficial protrusions, such as corns or bunions, tend to be less serious than more deeply rooted ones.
Synonyms
Examples of protrude in a Sentence
His lower jaw protrudes slightly.
A handkerchief protruded from his shirt pocket.
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1970, Smithson traveled to the Great Salt Lake’s Rozel Point peninsula, northwest of Salt Lake City, and arranged 6,000 tons of local black basalt rock into a 1,500-foot-long, protruding line, which reaches into the lake and curls counterclockwise into a spiral.
—
Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
The attack was foiled when a Secret Service agent spotted a firearm protruding from the bushes.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Footage taken on the day of that attack showed Goldberg-Polin being marched out of the shelter – with his hand blown off and bone protruding from his wrist – and thrown along with four others into the back of a truck.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN, 14 Oct. 2024
However, a closer look at the footage revealed that the insects never touched the spider webs with their protruding front legs.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for protrude 
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Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
The attack was foiled when a Secret Service agent spotted a firearm protruding from the bushes.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Footage taken on the day of that attack showed Goldberg-Polin being marched out of the shelter – with his hand blown off and bone protruding from his wrist – and thrown along with four others into the back of a truck.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN, 14 Oct. 2024
However, a closer look at the footage revealed that the insects never touched the spider webs with their protruding front legs.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for protrude
Dictionary Entries Near protrude
Cite this Entry
“Protrude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protrude. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
protrude
verb
pro·trude
prō-ˈtrüd 
protruded; protruding
: to cause to project
the mentalis raises and protrudes the lower lip—Gray's Anatomy
Gray's Anatomy
: to jut out from the surrounding surface
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