protruded; protruding
: to jut out from the surrounding surface or context
a handkerchief protruding from his breast pocket
Did you know?
Since trudere means "to thrust" in Latin, protrude means basically "to thrust forward". If your neighbors' patio protrudes over your property boundary, you may want to discuss it with them. A protruding disc in your spine may have to be operated on sooner or later; superficial protrusions, such as corns or bunions, tend to be less serious than more deeply rooted ones.
Examples of protrude in a Sentence
His lower jaw protrudes slightly.
A handkerchief protruded from his shirt pocket.
Recent Examples on the Web
To add to the hilarity, one of the dachshunds appeared to have chewed through a couch cushion and somehow gotten stuck inside it, with its head and legs filmed protruding through the torn fabric.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
The early word was that the protruding pair was a customized version of Adidas Adistar Cushion 3 sneakers made specifically for Williams.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
The protruding bracket behind the air guide appears to be a cable guide, and the box behind the cable guide is a three-drive cage.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
Lucas and Simone had been tasked with holding and then removing a protruding piece of a forklift metal prong impaled in a construction worker’s abdomen.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for protrude
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Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
The early word was that the protruding pair was a customized version of Adidas Adistar Cushion 3 sneakers made specifically for Williams.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
The protruding bracket behind the air guide appears to be a cable guide, and the box behind the cable guide is a three-drive cage.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
Lucas and Simone had been tasked with holding and then removing a protruding piece of a forklift metal prong impaled in a construction worker’s abdomen.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for protrude
Cite this Entry
“Protrude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protrude. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
protrude
verb
pro·trude
prō-ˈtrüd 
protruded; protruding
: to cause to project
the mentalis raises and protrudes the lower lip—Gray's Anatomy
Gray's Anatomy
: to jut out from the surrounding surface
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