Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense shields, present participle shielding, past tense, past participle shielded
1. countable noun [usually singular]
Something or someone which is a shield against a particular danger or risk provides protection from it.
He used his left hand as a shield against the reflecting sunlight.
...asbestos heat shields.
2. verb
If something or someone shields you from a danger or risk, they protect you from it.
He shielded his head from the sun with an old sack. [VERB noun + from]
The company does not bet its own money on equities, and so is shielded from marketrisk. [VERB noun from noun]
Synonyms: protect, cover, screen, guard More Synonyms of shield
3. verb
If you shield your eyes, you put your hand above your eyes to protect them from direct sunlight.
He squinted and shielded his eyes. [VERB noun]
4. countable noun
A shield is a large piece of metal or leather which soldiers used to carry to protect their bodies while they were fighting.
5. countable noun
A shield is a sports prize or badge that is shaped like a shield.
More Synonyms of shield
shield in British English
(ʃiːld)
noun
1.
any protection used to intercept blows, missiles, etc, such as a tough piece of armour carried on the arm
2.
any similar protective device
3. Also called: scutcheon, escutcheon heraldry
a pointed stylized shield used for displaying armorial bearings
4.
anything that resembles a shield in shape, such as a prize in a sports competition
5.
the protective outer covering of an animal, such as the shell of a turtle
6. physics
a structure of concrete, lead, etc, placed around a nuclear reactor or other source of radiation in order to prevent the escape of radiation
7.
a broad stable plateau of ancient Precambrian rocks forming the rigid nucleus of a particular continent
Baltic Shield, Canadian Shield
8. short for dress shield
9. civil engineering
a hollow steel cylinder that protects workers driving a circular tunnel through loose, soft, or water-bearing ground
10. the shield
verb
11. (transitive)
to protect, hide, or conceal (something) from danger or harm
Derived forms
shielder (ˈshielder)
noun
shieldlike (ˈshieldˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English scield; related to Old Norse skjöldr, Gothic skildus, Old High German scilt shield, Old English sciellshell
shield in American English
(ʃild)
noun
1.
a flat, usually broad, piece of metal, wood, etc., carried in the hand or worn on the forearm to ward off blows or missiles
2.
any person or thing that guards, protects, or defends
3.
a heraldic escutcheon
4.
anything shaped like a shield, as a plaque, trophy, badge, or emblem
5.
a movable canopy protecting workers from cave-ins in mines, tunnels, etc.
6.
a heavy metal screen attached to an artillery piece for the protection of the gunners
7.
a.
a guard or safety screen, as over the moving parts of machinery
b.
an insulating covering on electric wires, etc.
c.
any material or structure used for protection against radiation
8.
dress shield
9. Zoology
a hard surface covering or shell; protective plate, as on a turtle
verb transitive
10.
to be or provide a shield for; defend; protect; guard
11.
to hide from view; screen
verb intransitive
12.
to serve as a shield, or protection
Derived forms
shielder (ˈshielder)
noun
Word origin
ME schelde < OE scield, akin to Ger schild < Gmc *skild- < IE base *(s)kel- > shelf
COBUILD Collocations
shield
protective shield
Examples of 'shield' in a sentence
shield
The judge tried warning him he was destroying his own protective legal shield.
The Sun (2012)
Now trials have proved it can also help the body produce its own shield against sun damage.
The Sun (2012)
The same slugs were found lodged in shields and armour worn five officers.
The Sun (2016)
He held his hand shielding his eyes as he looked up.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
Large sunglasses shielded her eyes from the glare of the lights and her former boyfriend.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
And around that you would have a heat shield.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The animals are also shielded by their isolation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Put a protective shield around yourself and move on.
The Sun (2013)
This wasted energy and meant the machines needed expensive radiation shielding.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The young constable crawled on top of him using his shield to protect them both.
The Sun (2014)
It was like her little protective shield.
The Sun (2015)
It raises the question whether lives should be put at risk shielding statues rather than human beings.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The human shield was protecting its man.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He did not invade our world with a protective shield.
Christianity Today (2000)
Heat shields are now being fitted.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
These had a protective metal shield, pierced with an observation slot.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Wulfgar raised an arm to shield Aislinn as his men formed around them.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
Be very careful and use your hand to shield the horse's eyes.
Eccles, Lesley Your First Horse - buying, feeding, caring (1989)
For this reason, the limos park behind a large screen that shields them from the photographers lining the red carpet.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The company remains shielded from freedom of information laws and is answerable to 100 members drawn from the rail industry and members of the public.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Flat caps have always played a big part in a goalkeeper's armoury and not just as a method of shielding the sun from their eyes.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Helicopters with giant buckets were deployed, but without radiation shielding it was too dangerous for the pilots to fly low enough to take proper aim.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Word lists with
shield
heraldry
In other languages
shield
British English: shield /ʃiːld/ NOUN
A shield is a large piece of metal or leather which soldiers carried in the past to protect their bodies.
American English: shield
Arabic: تُرْس
Brazilian Portuguese: escudo
Chinese: 盾
Croatian: štit
Czech: štít
Danish: skjold
Dutch: schild
European Spanish: escudo
Finnish: kilpi
French: bouclier
German: Schild
Greek: ασπίδα
Italian: scudo
Japanese: 盾
Korean: 방패
Norwegian: skjold
Polish: tarcza
European Portuguese: escudo
Romanian: scut
Russian: щит
Latin American Spanish: escudo
Swedish: sköld
Thai: โล่
Turkish: kalkan
Ukrainian: щит
Vietnamese: cái khiên
British English: shield VERB
If something or someone shields you from a danger or risk, they protect you from it.
He shielded his head from the sun with an old sack.
American English: shield
Brazilian Portuguese: proteger
Chinese: 遮挡
European Spanish: proteger
French: protéger
German: abschirmen
Italian: riparare
Japanese: 保護する
Korean: 보호하다
European Portuguese: proteger
Latin American Spanish: proteger
All related terms of 'shield'
heat shield
a coating or barrier for shielding from excessive heat, such as that experienced by a spacecraft on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere
leg shield
a part on a motorcycle , scooter , etc, that protects the legs of the rider or of a passenger
riot shield
Riot shields are pieces of equipment made of transparent plastic which are used by the police to protect themselves against angry crowds.
shield bug
any shield-shaped herbivorous heteropterous insect of the superfamily Pentamoidea, esp any of the family Pentatomidae
shield fern
any temperate woodland fern of the genus Polystichum having shield-shaped flaps covering the spore-producing bodies: family Aspleniaceae
sun-shield
something put over the windscreen of a car to keep the sun out
the shield
informal a. Australian → short for the Sheffield Shield b. New Zealand → short for the Ranfurly Shield
Baltic Shield
the wide area of ancient rock in Scandinavia
dress shield
a fabric pad worn under the armpits or attached to the armhole of a garment to prevent sweat from showing on or staining the clothing
human shield
If a group of people are used as a human shield in a battle or war, they are put in a particular place so that the enemy will be unwilling to attack that place and harm them.
ozone shield
the region of the stratosphere with the highest concentration of ozone molecules, which by absorbing high-energy solar ultraviolet radiation protects organisms on earth
shield match
a cricket match for the Sheffield Shield
water shield
a North American nymphaeaceous plant, Brasenia schreberi, with floating oval leaves and purple flowers
Canadian Shield
(in Canada) the wide area of Precambrian rock extending west from the Labrador coast to the basin of the Mackenzie and north from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay and the Arctic : rich in minerals
Ranfurly Shield
(in New Zealand) the premier rugby trophy , competed for annually by provincial teams
shield cricket
the interstate cricket competition held for the Sheffield Shield
shield volcano
a broad volcano built up from the repeated nonexplosive eruption of basalt to form a low dome or shield, usually having a large caldera at the summit
biological shield
a protective shield impervious to radiation, esp the thick concrete wall surrounding the core of a nuclear reactor
continental shield
any of the large, low-lying areas in the Earth's crust that are composed of Precambrian crystalline rocks
Laurentian Shield
(in Canada ) the wide area of Precambrian rock extending west from the Labrador coast to the basin of the Mackenzie and north from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay and the Arctic : rich in minerals
protective shield
A shield is a large piece of metal or leather which soldiers used to carry to protect their bodies while they were fighting .
Sheffield Shield
(in Australia) the name for the trophy of the annual interstate cricket competition
Scandinavian Shield
the wide area of ancient rock in Scandinavia
Shield of David
an emblem symbolizing Judaism and consisting of a six-pointed star formed by superimposing one inverted equilateral triangle upon another of equal size
stinkbug
any shield-shaped herbivorous heteropterous insect of the superfamily Pentamoidea, esp any of the family Pentatomidae
Faraday cage
an earthed conducting cage or container used to protect electrical equipment against electric fields
Chinese translation of 'shield'
shield
(ʃiːld)
n(c)
(soldier's) 盾牌 (dùnpái) (个(個), gè)
(= trophy) 盾形锦(錦)标(標) (dùnxíng jǐnbiāo)
(Tech, = protective device) 防护(護)板 (fánghùbǎn)
a shield against sth免受某物侵害的屏障 (miǎnshòu mǒuwù qīnhài de píngzhàng)