protest

See also: Protest

English

Etymology

PIE word
*tréyes

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

Pronunciation

Noun and verb

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

• Audio (General American):

  (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.

Verb

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; to protest against.

   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], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →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.

Translations

to make a strong objection

• Arabic: اِعْتَرَضَ (iʕtaraḍa), اِحْتَجَّ (iḥtajja)
• Armenian: առարկել (hy) (aṙarkel), բողոքել (hy) (boġokʻel)
• Azerbaijani: etiraz etmək
• Belarusian: пратэстава́ць impf (pratestavácʹ)
• Bulgarian: протести́рам (bg) impf or pf (protestíram)
• Catalan: protestar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 抗議／抗议 (kong³ ji⁵)

  Hokkien: 抗議／抗议 (zh-min-nan) (khòng-gī)

  Mandarin: 抗議／抗议 (zh) (kàngyì)

• Czech: protestovat (cs)
• Dutch: protesteren (nl)
• Esperanto: protesti
• Finnish: vastustaa (fi), protestoida (fi)
• French: protester (fr)
• Georgian: პროტესტის გამოცხადება (ṗroṭesṭis gamocxadeba)
• German: protestieren (de), demonstrieren (de)
• Greek: διαμαρτύρομαι (el) (diamartýromai)
• Hebrew: מחאה (he) f (m"chá'ah)
• Hungarian: tiltakozik (hu)
• Icelandic: mótmæla (is)
• Ido: revoltar (io)
• Irish: agóid
• Italian: protestare (it)
• Japanese: 抗議する (ja) (こうぎする, kōgi suru)
• Khmer: តវ៉ា (km) (tɑɑ vaa)
• Korean: 항의하다 (ko) (hang'uihada)
• Latin: reclāmō
• Macedonian: протести́ра impf or pf (protestíra)
• Maori: mautohe, porotēhi, porotēhe
• Norwegian: protestere
• Persian: اعتراض کردن (fa) (e'terâz kardan)
• Polish: protestować (pl) impf, zaprotestować pf
• Portuguese: protestar (pt)
• Romanian: protesta (ro)
• Russian: протестова́ть (ru) impf (protestovátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: tog fianais
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: протестовати

  Roman: protestovati, protestirati (sh), prosvjedovati (sh), prosvedovati

• Slovak: protestovať impf
• Slovene: ugovarjati, protestirati
• Spanish: protestar (es), funar (es) (Chile)
• Swedish: inlägga (sv) protest (sv), protestera (sv)
• Telugu: నిరసించు (te) (nirasiñcu)
• Thai: ค้าน (th) (káan), ประท้วง (th) (bprà-túuang), ติง (th) (dting), คัดค้าน (th) (kát-káan)
• Ukrainian: протестува́ти impf (protestuváty)
• Vietnamese: biểu tình (vi)

to affirm

• Finnish: vakuuttaa (fi)
• Hungarian: kijelent (hu), hangoztat (hu), megerősít (hu)
• Irish: áitigh
• Russian: торже́ственно заявля́ть impf (toržéstvenno zajavljátʹ), кля́твенно заверя́ть impf (kljátvenno zaverjátʹ), уверя́ть (ru) impf (uverjátʹ)
• Spanish: proclamar (es)
• Swedish: bedyra (sv), försäkra (sv)
• Vietnamese: cam đoan (vi)

mostly US: to object to

• Finnish: vastustaa (fi), protestoida (fi)
• German: Einspruch erheben, Einwände äußern
• Ido: revoltigar (io)
• Khmer: ចំទាស់ (km) (cɑmtoah)
• Norwegian: protestere
• Slovene: protestirati, ugovarjati
• Spanish: oponerse (es), objetar (es)
• Swedish: protestera (sv) mot
• Vietnamese: phản đối (vi), phản kháng (vi)

Noun

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^[1], 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^[2], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-07-14‎^[3]:

     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.

Synonyms

• dissent
• objection
• protestation

Translations

formal objection

• Arabic: اِعْتِرَاض (ar) m (iʕtirāḍ), اِحْتِجَاج m (iḥtijāj)
• Armenian: բողոք (hy) (boġokʻ)
• Azerbaijani:

  Abjad: اعتراض (ē'tirāz)

  Roman: etiraz (az)

• Basque: protesta
• Belarusian: пратэ́ст m (pratést)
• Bengali: এতেরাজ (bn) (eteraj)
• Bulgarian: проте́ст (bg) m (protést)
• Catalan: protesta (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 抗議／抗议 (kong³ ji⁵)

  Hokkien: 抗議／抗议 (zh-min-nan) (khòng-gī)

  Mandarin: 抗議／抗议 (zh) (kàngyì)

• Czech: protest (cs) m
• Dutch: protest (nl) n
• Esperanto: protesto
• Faroese: mótmæli n
• Finnish: vastalause (fi), protesti (fi)
• French: protestation (fr) f
• Georgian: პროტესტი (ṗroṭesṭi)
• German: Protest (de) m, Einspruch (de) m, Widerspruch (de) m
• Greek: διαμαρτυρία (el) f (diamartyría) (diamartyría)
• Hindi: प्रतिवाद (hi) m (prativād), अस्वीकार (hi) m (asvīkār)
• Hungarian: tiltakozás (hu)
• Icelandic: mótmæli (is) n pl
• Irish: agóid f
• Italian: protesta (it) f
• Japanese: 抗議 (ja) (こうぎ, kōgi), プロテスト (purotesuto)
• Korean: 항의(抗議) (ko) (hang'ui)
• Macedonian: протест m (protest)
• Maori: mautohetanga, porotēhi
• Persian: اعتراض (fa) (e'terâz), احتجاج (fa) (ehtejâj)
• Polish: protest (pl) m
• Portuguese: protesto (pt) m
• Russian: проте́ст (ru) m (protést)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: про̀тест m

  Roman: pròtest (sh) m

• Slovak: protest m
• Slovene: ugovor m, protest m
• Spanish: protesta (es) f
• Swedish: protest (sv) c, gensaga (sv) c (law)
• Tajik: эътироз (tg) (eʾtiroz)
• Telugu: నిరసన (te) (nirasana)
• Turkish: itiraz (tr)
• Ukrainian: проте́ст m (protést)
• Vietnamese: (sự) phản đối, (sự) kháng nghị

collective gesture of disapproval: demonstration — see also demonstration

• Albanian: protestë (sq) f
• Armenian: բողոք (hy) (boġokʻ)
• Basque: manifestazio
• Belarusian: пратэ́ст m (pratést), мі́тынг m (mítynh), дэманстра́цыя f (demanstrácyja), маніфеста́цыя f (manifjestácyja)
• Bulgarian: проте́ст (bg) m (protést), ми́тинг (bg) m (míting), демонстра́ция (bg) f (demonstrácija)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 抗議／抗议 (kong³ ji⁵)

  Mandarin: 抗議／抗议 (zh) (kàngyì)

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: mielenosoitus (fi)
• French: manifestation (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Protest (de) m, Demonstration (de) f
• Hebrew: מְחָאָה (he) f (mekhaá)
• Hungarian: tüntetés (hu)
• Icelandic: mótmæli (is) n pl
• Khmer: បាតុកម្ម (km) (paatokam)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: protest (pl) m, demonstracja (pl) f
• Portuguese: manifestação (pt) f
• Romanian: protest (ro) n, miting (ro) n, demonstrație (ro) f, manifestație (ro) f
• Russian: проте́ст (ru) m (protést), ми́тинг (ru) m (míting), демонстра́ция (ru) f (demonstrácija), манифеста́ция (ru) f (manifestácija)
• Spanish: manifestación (es) f
• Thai: การประท้วง (th) (gaan-bprà-túuang)
• Turkish: protesto (tr)
• Ukrainian: проте́ст m (protést), мі́тинг m (mítynh), демонстра́ція f (demonstrácija), маніфеста́ція f (manifestácija)
• Vietnamese: (cuộc) biểu tình
• Welsh: protest (cy) f

noting by a notary public of an unpaid or unaccepted bill

• Finnish: maksukehotus (fi)

written declaration stating the circumstances attending loss or damage of ship or cargo, etc.

• Finnish: meriselitys (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: protestactie (nl) f, manifestatie (nl) f
• Georgian: პროტესტი (ṗroṭesṭi)
• Greek: διαμαρτυρία (el) f (diamartyría)
• Irish: agóid f
• Slovene: protest m
• Telugu: నిరసన ప్రదర్శన (nirasana pradarśana)

Derived terms

• dirty protest
• methinks the lady doth protest too much
• methinks thou dost protest too much
• Protestant
• protestation
• protester
• protest march
• protest song
• protest too much
• protest vote
• the lady doth protest too much
• under protest

 

Anagrams

• Potters, potters, spotter, strepto, strepto-

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prōtestor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈprotɛst]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

protest m inan

1. protest

   vyvolat protest. ― to elicit protest.

Declension

Declension of protest (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	protest	protesty
genitive	protestu	protestů
dative	protestu	protestům
accusative	protest	protesty
vocative	proteste	protesty
locative	protestě, protestu	protestech
instrumental	protestem	protesty

Related terms

• protestant
• protestantismus
• protestantský
• protestantství
• protestní
• protestovat

 

Further reading

• “protest”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “protest”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Noun

protest n (plural protesten, diminutive protestje n)

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

Hyponyms

• betoging
• demonstratie

Derived terms

• massaprotest
• protestactie
• protestbeweging
• protestbord
• protestdag
• protestlied
• protestmars
• protestpartij
• protestschrift
• proteststem
• proteststemmer
• protestzanger
• studentenprotest
• volksprotest

 

Related terms

• protestant
• protesteren

Descendants

• Afrikaans: protes
• → Caribbean Javanese: protès

Estonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /protˈesʲt/

Noun

protest (genitive protesti, partitive protesti)

1. protest

Declension

Declension of protest (ÕS type 22e/riik, length gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		protest	protestid
accusative	nom.
	gen.	protesti
genitive			protestide
partitive		protesti	proteste protestisid
illative		protesti protestisse	protestidesse protestesse
inessive		protestis	protestides protestes
elative		protestist	protestidest protestest
allative		protestile	protestidele protestele
adessive		protestil	protestidel protestel
ablative		protestilt	protestidelt protestelt
translative		protestiks	protestideks protesteks
terminative		protestini	protestideni
essive		protestina	protestidena
abessive		protestita	protestideta
comitative		protestiga	protestidega

Related terms

• protesteerima
• protestima

 

Further reading

• “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)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin protestari, as for protestere.

Noun

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

1. a protest

Derived terms

• protestmarsj

Related terms

• protestere

References

• “protest” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin protestari.

Noun

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

1. a protest

Derived terms

• protestmarsj

References

• “protest” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈprɔ.tɛst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔtɛst
• Syllabification: pro‧test

Noun

protest m inan

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

   Synonym: demonstracja

Declension

Declension of protest

	singular	plural
nominative	protest	protesty
genitive	protestu	protestów
dative	protestowi	protestom
accusative	protest	protesty
instrumental	protestem	protestami
locative	proteście	protestach
vocative	proteście	protesty

Related terms

• protestant
• protestantka
• protestować
• zaprotestować

 

Further reading

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

Romanian

Etymology

Back-formation from protesta

Noun

protest n (plural proteste)

1. protest

Declension

Declension of protest

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) protest	protestul	(niște) proteste	protestele
genitive/dative	(unui) protest	protestului	(unor) proteste	protestelor
vocative	protestule		protestelor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From German Protest.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

pròtest m (Cyrillic spelling про̀тест)

1. protest

   Synonym: pròsvjed

Declension

Declension of protest

	singular	plural
nominative	protest	protesti
genitive	protesta	protesta
dative	protestu	protestima
accusative	protest	proteste
vocative	proteste	protesti
locative	protestu	protestima
instrumental	protestom	protestima

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

protest c

1. protest

Declension

Declension of protest

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	protest	protests
	definite	protesten	protestens
plural	indefinite	protester	protesters
	definite	protesterna	protesternas

Derived terms

• gatuprotest
• massprotest
• protestaktion
• protestbrev
• protestdemonstration
• protestgrupp
• protestledare
• protestlista
• protestmarsch
• protestmöte
• protestnot
• protestrop
• proteströrelse
• proteströst
• proteströsta
• proteströstning
• protestskri
• protestskrivelse
• proteststorm
• protestsång
• protestsångare
• protesttåg
• protestvåg
• protestyttring
• studentprotest

 

Related terms

• protestera
• protestant

Anagrams

• torpets

Welsh

Etymology

From English protest.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

protest f (plural protestiadau or protestadau)

1. protest, demonstration (collective gesture of disapproval)

   Synonym: gwrthdystiad

   • 2020 November 11, BBC Cymru Fyw‎^[4]:

     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.

Derived terms

• protestio (“to protest”)

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
protest	brotest	mhrotest	phrotest
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• 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