human shield

noun

: a person whose body is used as a protection from harm by someone else

The thief tried to use a hostage as a human shield hoping the police would not shoot.

Examples of human shield in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The video, verified by NBC News, has been widely shared online, including by Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories, who accused the IDF of using the man as a human shield. —

Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 23 June 2024 Statham harpoons you in the leg, snaps your neck, then uses you as a human shield. 10. —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2024 In the hallway, they were engulfed by their supporters, who embraced them, patting their shoulders and forming a kind of human shield to protect them from the eyes and questions of reporters and onlookers. —

Audra D. S. Burch, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023 Celebrities had flown to Alabama to form a human shield around the marchers, the idea being that surely no one would take a shot at Harry Belafonte. —

Michael Wilson, New York Times, 12 July 2023