portal

1 of 2

noun

por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl How to pronounce portal (audio)
1
: door, entrance
especially : a grand or imposing one
2
: the whole architectural composition surrounding and including the doorways and porches of a church
3
: the approach or entrance to a bridge or tunnel
4
: a communicating part or area of an organism
specifically : the point at which something (such as a pathogen) enters the body
5
: a website serving as a guide or point of entry to the World Wide Web and usually including a search engine or a collection of links to other sites arranged especially by topic

portal

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of or relating to the transverse fissure on the underside of the liver where most of the vessels enter
2
: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system
portal circulation

Examples of portal in a Sentence

Noun a Web portal for baseball fans the main portal to the estate is an elaborate wrought iron gate on the side facing the road
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
During its long, steady fade to irrelevance, Cardinal basketball became a haven for excuses: Players left early for the NBA Draft; players got injured; players were young; the transfer portal was problematic; NIL (name, image and likeness) was a challenge. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 The Indian government has said those eligible can apply for Indian citizenship through an online portal. Sheikh Saaliq, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024 The transfer portal was hot at this spot over the winter, with Chris Paul, Jordan Crook, Jaheim Thomas and Mani Powell all hitting the exit and former Georgia 5-star composite signee Xavian Sorey heading to Arkansas. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024 The video display utilizes the space’s wave-like LED ceiling and LED portals to show viewers to places like the underwater Carnival Seacation resort and the kingdom of The Golden Mermaid (also the name of a new lounge on board). Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 Emerging From The Glacial Age Of Data Management To add perspective, think of the number of retailer portals designed to accept vendor data uploads into their proprietary platforms. Jay Hakami, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The other two Broward cases are children listed as being 0-4 years old, according to the state’s portal. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 The office oversaw the rollout of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic and is best known for publishing state telework data on an online portal. Maya Miller, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 The letter, in addition to being emailed, is posted on the password-only Ford dealer web portal. Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'portal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin portale city gate, porch, from neuter of portalis of a gate, from Latin porta gate — more at port

Adjective

New Latin porta transverse fissure of the liver, from Latin, gate

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1754, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of portal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near portal

Cite this Entry

“Portal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portal. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

portal

noun
por·​tal
ˈpōrt-ᵊl,
ˈpȯrt-
1
: a large or imposing door or entrance
2
: a website serving as a guide or point of entry to the Internet
Etymology

Noun

Middle English portal "door, the structure around a door," from early French portal (same meaning), derived from Latin portalis (adjective) "of a gate," from porta "gate, passage" — related to port entry 2

Medical Definition

portal

1 of 2 noun
por·​tal ˈpȯrt-ᵊl How to pronounce portal (audio)
: a communicating part or area of an organism: as
b
: the point at which something enters the body
portals of infection

portal

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of or relating to the porta hepatis
2
: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system
portal blood
portal circulation

Biographical Definition

Portal

biographical name

Por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl How to pronounce Portal (audio)
Charles Frederick Algernon 1893–1971 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford British air marshal

More from Merriam-Webster on portal

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