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protectorate

American  
[pruh-tek-ter-it] / prəˈtɛk tər ɪt /

noun

  1. the relation of a strong state toward a weaker state or territory that it protects and partly controls.

  2. a state or territory so protected.

  3. the office or position, or the term of office, of a protector.

  4. the government of a protector.

  5. (initial capital letter) the period (1653–59) during which Oliver and Richard Cromwell held the title of Lord Protector, sometimes extended to include the period of the restoration of the Rump Parliament (1659–60).

protectorate British  
/ prəˈtɛktərɪt /

noun

    1. a territory largely controlled by but not annexed to a stronger state

    2. the relation of a protecting state to its protected territory

  2. the office or period of office of a protector

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
protectorate Cultural  

  1. A relationship between a strong sovereign nation and a weak nation or area not recognized as a nation. Once the strong nation has established a protectorate over a weak nation, it can control the latter's affairs.

Etymology

Origin of protectorate

First recorded in 1685–95; protector + -ate 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Britain's former protectorate was named the "Pearl of Africa" in the early 20th century by the future British prime minister Winston Churchill.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

Mr. Mamdani, a professor of government and anthropology at Columbia University, is himself a Ugandan Asian, the term used to describe people from British India who had settled in the British protectorate of Uganda.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

“We are neither a protectorate nor a colony of any foreign nation.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2025

He was sent to an orphanage in Lebanon, then a French protectorate, where he discovered French language and culture.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2024

In Africa, French and British troops invaded the German protectorate of Togoland, while German forces attacked the British colony of South Africa.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.