shield — English Dictionary

shield
Pronunciations (5)
  • /ˈʃiːld/
    Pronunciation notes
    • Received-Pronunciation
  • /ˈʃɪj(ə)ld/
    Pronunciation notes
    • British
    • Southern
    • Standard
  • /ˈʃild/
    Pronunciation notes
    • General-American
  • /ˈʃiːʊd/
  • [ˈʃɪi̯ʊd]

Noun

  1. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. A broad piece of defensive armor, held in hand, formerly in general use in war, for the protection of the body.

    Examples

    Knock go and come; God's vassals drop and die; And sword and shield, In bloody field, Doth win immortal fame.

    More examples (2)

    The shields used by our Norman ancestors were the triangular or heater shield, the target or buckler, the roundel or rondache, and the pavais, pavache, or tallevas.

    My client welcomed the judge […] and they disappeared together into the Ethiopian card-room, which was filled with the assegais and exclamation point shields Mr. Cooke had had made at the sawmill at Beaverton.

    Beowulf, behind his shield, thrust forth only his right arm.

  2. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. One who protects or defends.

    Usage
    • Figurative
    Examples

    Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

    Go muster men. My counsel is my shield; We must be brief when traitors brave the field.

  3. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. A featherless, flat, fleshy protuberance on the head; a frontal shield.

  4. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. A flattish patch of iridescent feathers.

  5. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. A heavily hardened, protective plate on an insect's exoskeleton that covers part of its body.

  6. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. In lichens, a hardened cup or disk surrounded by a rim and containing the fructification, or asci.

  7. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. A framework used to protect workmen in making an adit under ground, and capable of being pushed along as excavation progresses.

    Examples
    More examples (1)

    The earth was excavated from the sunken cylinder; the shield was inserted into it, and the tunnelling began, the target being Wapping, on the opposite bank. The shield was an iron honeycomb containing thirty-six cells within which men dug the wall of mud before them.

  8. Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection. A field of energy that protects or defends.

    Examples
    More examples (1)

    Kinetic barriers, colloquially called "shields", provide protection against most mass accelerator weapons. Whether on a starship or a soldier's suit of armor, the basic principle remains the same. Kinetic barriers are repulsive mass effect fields projected from tiny emitters. These shields safely deflect small objects traveling at rapid velocities. This affords protection from bullets and other dangerous projectiles, but still allows the user to sit down without knocking away their chair.

  9. A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos. The escutcheon on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms.

    Examples

    Meronyms: field, charge, emblem

    More examples (1)

    The second and third quarters of the shield are indecipherable on the stone but clearer in two other representations of the arms, a painted wooden funeral hatchment for Mary Davie[…]

  10. A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos. A toilet seat.

    Usage
    • Scotland
    • euphemistic
    • Obsolete
  11. A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos. A spot resembling, or having the form of a shield.

    Examples

    Bespotted as with shields of red and black.

  12. A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos. A coin, the old French crown, or écu, having on one side the figure of a shield.

    Usage
    • Obsolete
  13. A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos. A sign or symbol, usually containing numbers and sometimes letters, identifying a highway route.

  14. A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos. A police badge.

    Usage
    • Colloquial
    Examples

    The chief put something in his hand and Bosch looked down to see the gold detective's shield.

  15. A large expanse of exposed stable Precambrian rock.

  16. A large expanse of exposed stable Precambrian rock. A wide and relatively low-profiled volcano, usually composed entirely of lava flows.

  17. A place with a toilet seat: an outhouse; a lavatory.

    Usage
    • Scotland
    • euphemistic
    • Figurative
    • Obsolete
  18. Parts at the front and back of a vehicle which are meant to absorb the impact of a collision

    Usage
    • British
    • English
  19. A circuit board that can connect to an Arduino microcontroller and extend its capabilities.

    Examples
    More examples (1)

    Arduino does many interesting things on its own, but it can't do everything. Fortunately, thanks to the open design of Arduino, building add-on boards to extend what Arduino can do is pretty easy. ¶ These boards are called "shields," because they usually fit over the top of Arduino like a protecting shield. ¶ Shields contain their own circuitry, components, and sometimes processing chips that can augment Arduino's capabilities. There are shields that enable Arduino to read GPS signals, drive robot motors, take pictures, connect to Bluetooth devices, control electroluminescent wire...as of this writing, there are more than 300 shields.

Verb

  1. To protect, to defend.

    Usage
    • Transitive or intransitive
    Examples

    Sunscreen shields against the harmful effects of solar rays.

    Shots rang out and a 15-year-old boy, shielding a woman from the line of fire, was killed.

  2. To shelter; to protect oneself.

    Usage
    • UK usage
    • Intransitive
    Examples

    The government has updated its guidance for people who are shielding taking into account that COVID-19 disease levels have decreased over the last few weeks.

  3. To protect from the influence of.

Noun

  1. a protective covering or structure

  2. armor carried on the arm to intercept blows

    Synonyms
    Broader terms
  3. hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles

    Broader terms

Verb

  1. protect, hide, or conceal from danger or harm

    Synonyms
    Broader terms
  2. hold back a thought or feeling about

    Broader terms
    Examples

    She is harboring a grudge against him

Word forms
shieldsshieldsshieldingshieldedshielded

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