self-protection

noun

self-pro·​tec·​tion ˌself-prə-ˈtek-shən 

plural self-protections

: the act of protecting oneself, one's property, or one's group : self-defense

kept a bat under the bed for self-protection

… found that conflict-affected communities often develop sophisticated self-protection strategies …

—Lisa Fuller

GEMINI … A painful past makes you guard your feelings, but such self-protection can lead to isolation and missed opportunities.

—Harper's Bazaar

—sometimes used before another noun

self-protection techniques

a self-protection seminar

Examples of self-protection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here, the blurring is visual: Sometimes Leonard floats into the past looking like Gere, who wears the character without a shred of self-protection as the lens gawks at his raw skin. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

Until the gun Iman was given by his employers for self-protection disappears. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024

Its internal security forces are now so weak that communities and people have turned to private self-protection services, often affiliated with key political parties. —Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 20 Nov. 2024

Beyond self-protection, some people are hiding their financial situations out of shame. —Tanyel Mustafa, refinery29.com, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above