protest

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To object to, especially in a formal statement. See Synonyms at object.
2. v. To promise or affirm with earnest solemnity: "He continually protested his profound respect” ( Frank Norris).
3. v. Law To declare (a bill) dishonored or refused.
4. v. Archaic To proclaim or make known: "unrough youths that even now/Protest their first of manhood” ( Shakespeare).
5. v. To express strong objection.
6. v. To make an earnest avowal or affirmation.
7. n. A formal declaration of disapproval or objection issued by a concerned person, group, or organization.
8. n. An individual or collective gesture or display of disapproval.
9. n. Law A formal statement drawn up by a notary for a creditor declaring that the debtor has refused to accept or honor a bill.
10. n. Law A formal declaration made by a taxpayer stating that the tax demanded is illegal or excessive and reserving the right to contest it.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To make a solemn declaration or affirmation of; bear witness or testimony to; assert; asseverate; declare: as, to protest one's innocence.
2. To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; appeal to.
3. To declare publicly; publish; make known.
4. To promise solemnly; vow.
5. To declare formally to be insufficiently provided for by deposit or payment: said of a note or bill of exchange, and also, figuratively, of personal credit, statements, etc. See protest, n., 3.
6. Synonyms Protest differs from the words compared under assert (aver, asseverate, etc.) in being more solemn and earnest, and in implying more of previous contradiction or expectation of contradiction (see the quotations above); like them, it is used to make the statement seem certainly true.
7. To bear testimony; affirm with solemnity; make a solemn declaration of a fact or an opinion; asseverate.
8. To make a solemn or formal declaration (often in writing) in condemnation of an act or measure proposed or accomplished: often with against.
9. n. The act of protesting, or that which is protested; an affirmation; asseveration; protestation: now restricted for the most part to a solemn or formal declaration against some act or course of action, by which a person declares (and sometimes has his declaration recorded) that he refuses, or only conditionally yields, his consent to some act to which he might otherwise be assumed to have yielded an unconditional assent: as, to submit under protest; a protest against the action of a committee.
10. n. In law: In a popular sense, all the steps taken to fix the liability of a drawer or indorser of commercial paper when the paper is dishonored.
11. n. Technically, the solemn declaration on the part of the holder of a bill or note against any loss to be sustained by him by reason of the non-acceptanceor non-payment, as the case may be, of the bill or note in question, and the calling of a notary to witness that due steps have been taken to prevent such loss.
12. n. The document authenticating this act.
13. n. A written declaration, usually by the master of a ship, attested by a justice of the peace or a consul, stating the circumstances under which any injury has happened to the ship or cargo, or other circumstances calculated to affect the liability of the owners, officers, crew, etc.
14. n. that the authority of the Bible is supreme, and above that of councils and bishops; and.
15. n. that the Bible is not to be interpreted according to tradition, but is to be interpreted by means of itself.

Wiktionary

1. v. intransitive To make a strong objection.
2. v. transitive To affirm (something).
3. v. transitive To object to.
4. n. A formal objection, especially one by a group.
5. n. A collective gesture of disapproval: a demonstration.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To affirm in a public or formal manner; to bear witness; to declare solemnly; to avow.
2. v. To make a solemn declaration (often a written one) expressive of opposition; -- with against.
3. v. To make a solemn declaration or affirmation of; to proclaim; to display.
4. v. To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to.
5. n. A solemn declaration of opinion, commonly a formal objection against some act; especially, a formal and solemn declaration, in writing, of dissent from the proceedings of a legislative body.
6. n. A solemn declaration in writing, in due form, made by a notary public, usually under his notarial seal, on behalf of the holder of a bill or note, protesting against all parties liable for any loss or damage by the nonacceptance or nonpayment of the bill, or by the nonpayment of the note, as the case may be.
7. n. A declaration made by the master of a vessel before a notary, consul, or other authorized officer, upon his arrival in port after a disaster, stating the particulars of it, and showing that any damage or loss sustained was not owing to the fault of the vessel, her officers or crew, but to the perils of the sea, etc., ads the case may be, and protesting against them.
8. n. A declaration made by a party, before or while paying a tax, duty, or the like, demanded of him, which he deems illegal, denying the justice of the demand, and asserting his rights and claims, in order to show that the payment was not voluntary.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a formal and solemn declaration of objection
2. n. the act of protesting; a public (often organized) manifestation of dissent
3. v. utter words of protest
4. n. the act of making a strong public expression of disagreement and disapproval
5. v. express opposition through action or words
6. v. affirm or avow formally or solemnly