From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishshieldshield1 /ʃiːld/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 
a) PMWa large piece of metal or leather that soldiers used in the past to protect themselves when fighting b) SCPa piece of equipment made of strong plastic, used by the police to protect themselves against angry crowds SYN riot shield → human shield2 a) something in the shape of a shield, wide at the top and curving to a point at the bottom, that is given as a prize for winning a competition, especially a sports competition b) a drawing or model of a shield, wide at the top and curving to a point at the bottom, that is used as a coat of arms3 PROTECTsomething that protects a person or thing from harm or damageshield against The immune system is our body’s shield against infection.4 American English the small piece of metal that a police officer wears to show that they are a police officer SYN badge
a) PMWa large piece of metal or leather that soldiers used in the past to protect themselves when fighting b) SCPa piece of equipment made of strong plastic, used by the police to protect themselves against angry crowds SYN riot shield → human shield2 a) something in the shape of a shield, wide at the top and curving to a point at the bottom, that is given as a prize for winning a competition, especially a sports competition b) a drawing or model of a shield, wide at the top and curving to a point at the bottom, that is used as a coat of arms3 PROTECTsomething that protects a person or thing from harm or damageshield against The immune system is our body’s shield against infection.4 American English the small piece of metal that a police officer wears to show that they are a police officer SYN badgeExamples from the Corpus
shield• And Perseus carried a shield provided by the goddess of wisdom.• Rawlie sat next to him, in an old chair with a back shaped like a shield.• The adoral shields are small wing-like almost separating the oral shield from the first lateral arm plate.• The spacecraft is covered in a material that acts as a heat shield.• This ironclad shield was pierced by ten gun ports, the largest guns being designed for 9-inch shells.• Suncream acts as a kind of shield against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.• Only the distal edge of the radial shields are visible.• The radial shields are triangular to tear-drop shaped, just over a quarter the disk radius in length.• The radial shields are not visible, probably absent.• Other demonstrators have managed to draw pink hearts on most of the riot shields.• Before operating this machine, make sure the safety shield is in place.shield against• The immune system is our body's shield against infection.shieldshield2 ●●○ verb [transitive] PROTECTto protect someone or something from being harmed or damaged Women will often lie to shield even the most abusive partner.shield somebody/something from somebody/something He held up his hands, shielding his eyes from the sun. import tariffs that shield firms from foreign competition► see thesaurus at protectRegisterShield is used mostly in journalism or literature. In everyday English, people usually say protect:He used his hands to protect his eyes from the sun.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
shield• He had nearly forgotten about the small house next to him, shielded as it was by the rhododendron hedge.• Beneath him, shielded by his body, lay a baby.• Dana had to be shielded from Roman's anger, and she was the only one who could do that.• The elderly woman shielded her wounded husband.• If other servants resented him, these two carefully shielded him.• Fuel taxes were reduced, shielding industry from the effects of the rise in oil prices.• I was lucky; a bit of the fence fell on me and shielded me from the blast, I suppose.• I held up a hand to shield my eyes.• The trappings of prominent elected offices do not shield the occupants from the challenges, temptations and failures of daily life.• I passed long wagon trains filled with wounded and dying soldiers, without even a blanket to shield them...• But there was Daley to shield Wilson, beating down the evil ward bosses who opposed the Daley-Wilson reform.• The treated glass shields your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet rays.shield somebody/something from somebody/something• Tara's manager had shielded her from a lot of the bad publicity and hostile reviews.Origin shield1 Old English scield 