protest

From the Middle English verb protesten, from Old French protester, from Latin prōtestārī, present active infinitive of prōtestor, from prō + testor, from testis (“witness”).

Noun and verb

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹəʊ.tɛst/
• (US) enPR: prōʹtĕst, IPA^(key): /ˈpɹoʊ.tɛst/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pro‧test

Verb

• enPR: prə.tĕstʹ, IPA^(key): /pɹəˈtɛst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst
• Hyphenation: pro‧test

Note

The verb is stressed on the first syllable when referring to a physical march and stressed on the second syllable when in reference to a spoken outburst.

protest (third-person singular simple present protests, present participle protesting, simple past and past participle protested)

1. (intransitive) To make a strong objection.

   How dare you, I protest!

   The public took to the streets to protest over the planned change to the law.

   • 1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:

     As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.

   • 2009, Cuba:

     U.S. and European protested against Spanish conduct in Cuba.

   • 2023 December 27, David Turner, “Silent lines...”, in RAIL, number 999, page 29:

     On November 29 1952, a special train ran from Sunderland to Leeds for Christmas shoppers and those attending a Leeds vs. Brentford match. It caused controversy, with Sunderland traders protesting that their shops were just as good as those in Leeds.

2. (transitive) To affirm (something).

   I protest my innocence.

   I do protest and declare …

   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     I will protest your cowardice.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     Our youth, now, emboldened with his success, resolved to push the matter farther, and ventured even to beg her recommendation of him to her father's service; protesting that he thought him one of the honestest fellows in the country, and extremely well qualified for the place of a gamekeeper, which luckily then happened to be vacant.

   • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “Ch.8”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:

     She flashed a smile at me, and, protesting an engagement with her dentist, jauntily walked on.

3. (transitive, chiefly Canada, US) To object to.

   They protested the demolition of the school.

4. To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Fiercely [they] opposed / My journey strange, with clamorous uproar / Protesting fate supreme.

5. (law, transitive) to make a solemn written declaration, in due form, on behalf of the holder, against all parties liable for any loss or damage to be sustained by non-acceptance or non-payment of (a bill or note). This should be made by a notary public, whose seal it is the usual practice to affix.
6. (obsolete, transitive) To publish; to make known.

protest (countable and uncountable, plural protests)

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

   They lodged a protest with the authorities.

2. A collective gesture of disapproval; a demonstration.

   We held a protest in front of City Hall.

   • 2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist‎, volume 408, number 8848:

     All this has led to an explosion of protest across China, including among a middle class that has discovered nimbyism.

   • 2020 July 13, Austin Ramzy, Elaine Yu, Tiffany May, “Hong Kong Voters Defy Beijing, Endorsing Protest Leaders in Primary”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-07-14‎:

     Sage Ip, a 29-year-old flight attendant who cast her ballot on Sunday in the Sai Ying Pun district, said she voted in the primary because she was worried that she would never get a chance to do so again. “Voting is something that is still within our capacity. We can’t express ourselves at protests anymore.”

3. The noting by a notary public of an unpaid or unaccepted bill.
4. A written declaration, usually by the master of a ship, stating the circumstances attending loss or damage of ship or cargo, etc.

• dissent
• objection
• protestation

• Potters, potters, spotter, strepto, strepto-

Borrowed from Latin prōtestor.

• IPA^(key): [ˈprotɛst]

• Audio

  (file)

protest m inan

1. protest

   vyvolat protest. ― to elicit protest.

• protest in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• protest in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Borrowed from Middle French [Term?], from Old French [Term?], from Latin protestō.

• IPA^(key): /proːˈtɛst/
• Hyphenation: pro‧test
• Rhymes: -ɛst

protest n (plural protesten, diminutive protestje n)

1. protest (occasion to express dissatisfaction)
2. protest (expression of disagreement)

• betoging
• demonstratie

• protestant
• protesteren

• Afrikaans: protes
• → Caribbean Javanese: protès

• IPA^(key): /protˈesʲt/

protest (genitive protesti, partitive protesti)

1. protest

• “protest”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
• “protest”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018, →ISBN
• protest in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)

From Latin protestari, as for protestere.

protest m (definite singular protesten, indefinite plural protester, definite plural protestene)

1. a protest

• protestmarsj

• protestere

• “protest” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Latin protestari.

protest m (definite singular protesten, indefinite plural protestar, definite plural protestane)

1. a protest

• protestmarsj

• “protest” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from German Protest, from Italian protesto, from Latin prōtestārī, present active infinitive of prōtestor, from prō + testor, from testis (“witness”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈprɔ.tɛst/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔtɛst
• Syllabification: pro‧test

protest m inan

1. (law) protest (formal objection)
2. (government, politics) protest (demonstration)

   Synonym: demonstracja

• protest in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• protest in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Back-formation from protesta

protest n (plural proteste)

1. protest

From German Protest.

• IPA^(key): /prǒtest/
• Hyphenation: pro‧test

pròtest m (Cyrillic spelling про̀тест)

1. protest

   Synonym: pròsvjed

• audio

  (file)

protest c

1. protest

• protestera
• protestant

• torpets

From English protest.

• IPA^(key): /ˈprɔtɛsd/, [ˈpr̥ʰɔtʰɛst]

protest f (plural protestiadau or protestadau)

1. protest, demonstration (collective gesture of disapproval)

   Synonym: gwrthdystiad

   • 2020 November 11, BBC Cymru Fyw‎:

     Mae dwsinau o ddynion sydd wedi cael eu cartrefi mewn gwersyll ym Mhenalun, Sir Benfro wedi cynnal protest dros eu hamodau byw. Cynhaliodd y dynion brotest yn hawlio bod eu hawliau dynol yn cael eu hanwybyddu.

     Dozens of men who have been housed in a camp in Penally, Pembrokeshire have held a protest over their living conditions. The men held a protest claiming that their human rights were being ignored.

• protestio (“to protest”)

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “protest”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies