to protest against
40
3.6
- phrasal verb
- /ˈproʊtɛst əˈɡɛnst/
:
protestar contra
- It's not just a kind of protest against injustice, it's a creative process in its own right.
- protest against the government
- protest against government policies
- protest against the police
And I was in Ramallah with the people protesting against the Palestinian Authority.
- And I was in Ramallah with the people protesting against the Palestinian Authority.
- Muhammad Ali protested against the Vietnam War.
- I was among them walking through the streets of London protesting against the restrictions.
- I was protesting against the censorship, you know, even legal censorship.
- If the people who don't like you leave, they're not there to complain, to protest, to vote against you.
- As my former student and friend Cory Booker said the other day, don't become what you're protesting against.
- So if if that's your role is, I mean, it's one of the ways showing the world how you've been sort of banned from protesting against Hamas, for example.
- So remember when we were people were protesting against immigration ban, Uber sent the drivers to the airport.
- So then you look at students who kind of want to protest against this.
- If we were strict in applying the conclusions of the Adlerian school, we should say the Negro is seeking to protest against the inferiority he feels.
- I've never been to New Orleans, but you shouldn't be protesting against just natural love.
Examples
-
The students gathered to protest against the university's decision to increase tuition fees next year.
-
- South Koreans continue to protest against North Korea's attack on Yeon-Pyeong Island.
-
I protest against the way in which this question was put!
-
NEXT ISSUE: Are you willing to protest against service cuts in your area?
Academic text (2011) -
And so I'm going to protest against the system with my vote.
-
We're now at the point where the locals feel like they have to protest against what's happening and stop construction.
-
I was among them walking through the streets of London protesting against the restrictions.
-
Students at Ghana's three major universities protested against the national education reform program in 1987.
Academic text (1995) -
Then I suppose you're protesting against this amnesty offer by the governor, aren't you?
-
We didn't know what the word "anti-establishment" was until it cropped up on a Rodriguez song and then we found out, it's OK to protest against your society, to be angry with your society.
Synonyms
∞
2.9
To be against something and try to stop it
311
2.2
Act against authority, rules or change
298
4.0
To strongly criticize someone or something publicly
283
3.2
To show strong disagreement in public, often by joining a march or strike
115
6.8
Publicly criticize someone or something strongly
74
3.2
Join a public protest to show strong opposition
44
4.1
Publicly say you are strongly against something or someone
31
7.7
To say in public that something is bad or wrong
26
7.7
To express strong disapproval of someone, often in an official statement
23
4.6
Publicly say you strongly agree or disagree with something
22
3.7
To resist a person or rule that treats people unfairly
15
4.2
To say in public that you do not support something
7
3.9
Speak in public to say you are worried about something
4
6.8
Complain loudly in public to get attention
2
7.4
To complain loudly and make people notice the problem
1
5.0
To stand or march outside a building to show you are against something
1
9.0
To speak or write very angrily against something to show strong criticism
1
8.5
To speak strongly to show you disagree
1
9.9
Angrily criticize someone or something
To show publicly that you are against unfair treatment, often by joining a public march or speaking out
To express a complaint or concern, often publicly
Antonyms
How Strong
298
4.0
- Formal
115
6.8
40
3.6
349
5.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'protest' means to voice strong public objection and 'against' marks the target of opposition. This verb + preposition combination follows a standard, cross-linguistically common composition pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Protest against comes from the image of people gathering and protesting by standing or marching 'against' a building, law, or idea to show they do not accept it. So to protest against something means 'to publicly express strong objection or disapproval'.