protégé

noun

pro·​té·​gé ˈprō-tə-ˌzhā How to pronounce protégé (audio)
ˌprō-tə-ˈzhā
: one who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence

Examples of protégé in a Sentence

He was a protégé of the great composer.
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 Hoosiers missed the NCAA tourney in each of Woodson’s final two seasons, prompting Indiana fans to sour on the one-time Indiana basketball star and Bob Knight protege. Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025 With Powell averaging a career-high 23.7 points, Billups is loving what he’s seen from his former protege. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025 The ending of 2023's The Marvels showed the young Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) doing her best Nick Fury impersonation to recruit Hawkeye protege Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to join a new team of young superheroes. Nick Romano, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2024 As one former Shanahan passer protege, Brian Hoyer, put it, Shanahan enjoys having an avatar on the field. Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025 In Blue Moon, Hawke plays Broadway composer Lorenz Hart, while Qualley plays his protege Elizabeth Weiland, a 20-year-old Yale student who Hart is in love with. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025 Now the official Jedi protege of Obi-Wan, Anakin begins a romance with Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a member of the Galactic Senate. Katie Rife, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2025 Carter was a protege of Patrick Roy, having been an assistant at Inglewood and St. Paul. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2025 Nemkov, a protege of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, Nemkov is coming off a February 2024 win over PFL heavyweight Bruno Cappelozza. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from past participle of protéger to protect, from Middle French, from Latin protegere

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of protégé was in 1786

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Protégé.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

protégé

noun
pro·​té·​gé ˈprōt-ə-ˌzhā How to pronounce protégé (audio)
: a person under the care or training of someone influential especially for the furthering of his or her career
Etymology

French, from protéger "to protect"

More from Merriam-Webster on protégé

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!