overprotect C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /ˌoʊvɚprəˈtɛkt/ UK /ˌəʊvəprəˈtɛkt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to guard or shield someone excessively Parents who overprotect their children can stunt their independence. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to guard or shield someone... coddlemollycoddleshieldsheltercossetsmother ↔ Opposites neglectabandonexpose Word family Derived forms overprotectiveoverprotection Related forms protectprotection Etymology AI details From over- ('excessively') plus protect, from Latin protegere ('to cover in front'), from pro- ('in front') plus tegere ('to cover'). prōtegere Latin tegere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # overprotect **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˌoʊvɚprəˈtɛkt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌəʊvəprəˈtɛkt/ ## Meanings 1. to guard or shield someone excessively ## Examples - Parents who overprotect their children can stunt their independence. ## Synonyms - coddle - mollycoddle - shield - shelter - cosset - smother ## Antonyms - neglect - abandon - expose ## Derived Forms - overprotective - overprotection ## Related Forms - protect - protection ## Roots and Affixes - Root: prōtegere - Root: tegere ## Etymology From over- ('excessively') plus protect, from Latin protegere ('to cover in front'), from pro- ('in front') plus tegere ('to cover'). ## AI Etymology Overprotect is from over- ('excessively') plus protect, from Latin protegere ('to cover in front'), from pro- ('in front') plus tegere ('to cover'). Important recorded forms include prōtegere (Latin) and tegere (Latin). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers to guard or shield someone excessively. The wider family includes derived forms such as overprotective and overprotection and related words such as protect and protection. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown