French word

protester

Pronunciation

IPA/pʁotɛste/

Meaning

  • verbprotest

Example

Les voisins vont protester contre le bruit ce soir.

The neighbors will protest against the noise tonight.

Illustration for protester (protest)

More examples

Les étudiants ont choisi de protester pacifiquement devant l'université.

The students chose to protest peacefully in front of the university.

Core concept

A person publicly raising a clear objection to a decision or situation.

Common phrases

  • protester contre

    protest against ___

  • protester bruyamment

    protest loudly

  • protester pacifiquement

    protest peacefully

Similar words

contester: To challenge a fact or decision as wrong or unjustified.
se plaindre: To voice dissatisfaction about something troublesome or unpleasant.
râler: To complain irritably about things that cause annoyance.
manifester: To join a public gathering to show support or opposition.

Definition in French

Déclarer son désaccord de façon explicite pour montrer son opposition à une situation ou à une décision.

Word origin

French protester comes through Old French from Latin protestari, "to declare publicly," from pro- "forth" and testari "to testify"; its sense narrowed toward opposition.

Usage tips

  • The usual construction is protester contre plus the cause of the objection, as in protester contre le bruit.

Other meanings

  • objectverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word