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"protect" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often defend (6 letters).
Definitions
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
Word origin
Attested in English since 1530, from Latin prōtēctus (“covered, protected”), past participle of prōtegō, prōtegere (“to cover the front, protect”) from prō, prō- (“before, in front of”) + tegō, tegere (“to cover”), see tegument. Displaced native Middle English shelden, from Old English sċildan (“to protect,” literally “to shield”).
Used in a sentence
“to protect a child from danger”
“This antivirus package will protect your computer from hackers.”
“Condoms are designed to protect against sexually-transmitted diseases.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Keep safe”7 letters
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