Other forms: overprotected; overprotecting; overprotects
When you overprotect someone, you baby or coddle them — you protect them too much. If your parents overprotect you, they never let you make mistakes or take risks.
Overprotection comes from wanting to keep someone safe all the time, and it's particularly common for a parent to overprotect a child. No mom or dad wants to see their child get hurt, but when they overprotect, they make it impossible for their son or daughter to take the risks that teach them important life lessons. Overprotect and all its various forms were coined in the 1920s, in reference to parents and their children.