Meaning of protest in English

protest

noun
uk ​ /ˈprəʊ.test/ us ​ /ˈproʊ.test/

› [ C or U ] a strong complaint expressing disagreement, disapproval, or opposition:

Protests have been made/registered by many people who would be affected by the proposed changes.
A formal protest was made by the German team about their disqualification from the relay final.
Conservation groups have united in protest against the planned new road.

B2 [ C ] an occasion when people show that they disagree with something by standing somewhere, shouting, carrying signs, etc.:

a public protest against the war
a peaceful/violent protest
under protest

› If something is done under protest, it is done unwillingly:

I only went to the meeting under protest.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

protest

verb [ I or T ]
uk ​ /prəˈtest/ us ​ /proʊˈtest/

B2 to show that you disagree with something by standing somewhere, shouting, carrying signs, etc.:

A big crowd of demonstrators were protesting against cuts in health spending.
especially US Outside, a group of students were protesting research cuts.

B2 to say something forcefully or complain about something:

Lots of people protested about the new working hours.
They protested bitterly to their employers, but to no avail.
[ + that ] A young girl was crying, protesting that she didn't want to leave her mother.
All through the trial he protested his innocence (= strongly said he was not guilty).

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom

protest too much

(Definition of “protest” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"protest" in American English

protestnoun [ C/U ]
us ​ /ˈproʊ·test/

› a strong complaint expressing disagreement, disapproval, or opposition:

[ U ] Three board members walked out of the meeting in protest.
[ C ] A protest against capital punishment was held outside the courthouse.
[ U ] He paid the tax under protest to avoid a penalty.
protestverb [ I/T ]
us ​ /prəˈtest, ˈproʊ·test/

› to express disagreement with, disapproval of, or opposition to something by complaining strongly about it:

[ I/T ] Groups of students have been protesting (against) the tuition increase.

(Definition of “protest” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"protest" in Business English

protestnoun
uk ​ /ˈprəʊtest/ us ​

› [ C or U ] a strong complaint against something, or the act of complaining strongly about it:

an angry/big/formal protest The chief executive of the troubled company gave up a £2.8m bonus package after big protests.
in protest against/at sth He resigned in protest at the refusal to privatise the airline.
The length of directors' contracts attracted a storm of protest from small shareholders at last year's annual meeting.

› [ C ] an occasion when people show that they disagree strongly with something by standing together and shouting and carrying signs, especially on the streets:

hold/organize/stage a protest Shareholders held protests against the takeover bid outside the Stock Exchange.
spark/trigger a protest The plan sparked days of street protests.
a large/mass/peaceful protest
a protest demonstration/march
under protest

› if something is done under protest, it is done unwillingly:

In the cruise-ship industry, some companies are paying sales tax under protest, and some aren't paying at all.
protestverb
uk ​ /prəʊˈtest/ us ​ /prəˈtest/

› [ I or T ] to say or do something to show that you are against something:

protest about/at sth Shareholders of the telecoms company are being urged to protest about a £10million bonus given to the chief executive.
protest against sth Local entrepreneurs banded together and called a strike to protest against an increase in local taxes.
US protest a proposal/decision

› to say very forcefully that something is true:

protest that Industry lobbyists protest that the charges on small loans would drive lenders out of business.

(Definition of “protest” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of “protest”

These examples are from the Cambridge English Corpus and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

The women group protests are also loud, as those that have occasioned production disruptions have been highlighted in the press and media commentaries.
From Cambridge English Corpus
The grievances, anger, frustration and disillusionment that emerged led to an upsurge in agitation and protests.
From Cambridge English Corpus
They protested over immediate or relatively shortterm issues like ad hoc demands over wage hikes, holidays, dismissals or restoration of allowances.
From Cambridge English Corpus
People's religion takes many forms, for example, mystic orders, fundamentalist movements, proletarian urban protests, bazaar merchant's associations, academic fora.
From Cambridge English Corpus
The third role is in the reactions to the excesses, perversions and the socially disruptive consequences of the agitations and protests.
From Cambridge English Corpus
While all these new policies and programs effectively promoted socio-economic transformation, they also provided tools and created opportunities for popular protests.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Families have protested hospital bed closures and pushed for community treatment orders and community support services.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Their strategy, however, involved proposing new initiatives, not just protesting against the status quo.
From Cambridge English Corpus
However, 2 patients did not take the prescribed opioid due to concerns about adverse reactions and protests from their families.
From Cambridge English Corpus
I argue that past collective or mass urban protests and labor unionism failed to improve the living conditions of a large number of people.
From Cambridge English Corpus
The female students already enrolled protested this sudden ban, with limited success.
From Cambridge English Corpus
They pursued a two-pronged strategy of stimulating # local protests while instigating international opposition.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Here, the issue is why popular protests rose so frequently despite tight political control by the government.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Generally, the protests are characterised by non-violence and little destruction.
From Cambridge English Corpus
The women protests are an abundant manifestation that the threshold or limit has been reached in the region's struggle.
From Cambridge English Corpus

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Collocations with “protest”

These are words often used in combination with protest. Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

These examples are from the Cambridge English Corpus and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

act of protest
In such reports, the fate of victimhood loomed larger than the act of protest.
From Cambridge English Corpus  
anti-government protests
The controversial deal played a major part in prolonged anti-government protests on the island that resulted in over a hundred deaths.
From
Wikipedia
 
anti-war protest
The cover photo features an elderly couple being arrested at an anti-war protest, holding hands and flashing peace signs as they are led away.
From
Wikipedia
 

 See all collocations with protest

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