Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

bảo vệ

[ʔɓaːw˧˩ ve˧˨ʔ]

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to protect

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bảo vệ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Examples

Bảo vệ nhắc mọi người đứng sau vạch.The security guard told everyone to stand behind the line.

Editorial example (contributed-collins-enriched)

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗ Local usage: Bảo vệ can also mean security or protection, but commonly means a security guard in this context. [contributed-collins-enriched]

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to defend (an idea, a dissertation, etc.)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bảo vệ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) a security guard; compare vệ sĩ (“bodyguard”)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

vệ sĩ bảo vệ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Common questions

What does “bảo vệ” mean?

(verb) to protect

Is “bảo vệ” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.