shield

The definition of a shield is a person or thing that protects, blocks, guards or defends.

(noun)

An example of a shield is the flat piece of metal carried by riot police to protect their bodies against protesters.
An example of a shield is the front window of a car.
An example of a shield is a soccer goalie.

See shield in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a flat, usually broad, piece of metal, wood, etc., carried in the hand or worn on the forearm to ward off blows or missiles
any person or thing that guards, protects, or defends
a heraldic escutcheon
anything shaped like a shield, as a plaque, trophy, badge, or emblem
a movable canopy protecting workers from cave-ins in mines, tunnels, etc.
a heavy metal screen attached to an artillery piece for the protection of the gunners
1. a guard or safety screen, as over the moving parts of machinery
2. an insulating covering on electric wires, etc.
3. any material or structure used for protection against radiation
dress shield
Zool. a hard surface covering or shell; protective plate, as on a turtle

Origin: ME schelde < OE scield, akin to Ger schild < Gmc *skild- < IE base *(s)kel- > shelf

transitive verb

intransitive verb

to serve as a shield, or protection

Related Forms:

See shield in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A broad piece of armor made of rigid material and strapped to the arm or carried in the hand for protection against hurled or thrusted weapons.
A person or thing that provides protection.
A protective device or structure, as:
a. A steel sheet attached to an artillery piece to protect gunners from small-arms fire and shrapnel.
b. Physics A wall or housing of concrete or lead built around a nuclear reactor to prevent the escape of radiation.
c. Electronics A structure or arrangement of metal plates or mesh designed to protect a piece of electronic equipment from electrostatic or magnetic interference.
d. A pad worn, as at the armpits, to protect a garment from perspiration.
e. A sanitary napkin.
Zoology A protective plate or similar hard outer covering; a scute or scutellum.
Something that resembles a shield, as:
a. An escutcheon.
b. A decorative emblem that often serves to identify an organization or a government.
c. A police officer's badge.
Geology The ancient, stable, interior layer of continents composed of primarily Precambrian igneous or metamorphic rocks. Also called continental shield.