1
: a covered area adjoining an entrance to a building and usually having a separate roof
2
obsolete : portico

Examples of porch in a Sentence

The house has a large front porch. vacationers relaxing on the inn's spacious front porch
Recent Examples on the Web There’s a large room joined by a porch, along with a lofted area. Mark David, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2024 Once on the front porch, the man kissed a woman, believed to be his mother, the neighbor said. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The shooting unfolded shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday on the front porch of a home in northeastern Independence while Mack was trying to carry out an eviction. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Police said Alvarez ended up stealing some tennis shoes off the front porch and then leaving. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 The guest houses sit around an outdoor area with a pool and fire pit, and large porches are meant for gathering. Stacey Leasca, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024 During a game of King’s Cup—a drinking game that on this February night had created a rule that exiled me to the porch—without hesitation, Dickie followed me outside. Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024 When a 12-year-old girl was found dead in 2020, hanging from her porch rafters, Catholics saw a terrible accident. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 The three colleagues sat together on Hoover’s porch. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'porch.' 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

Middle English porche, from Anglo-French, from Latin porticus portico, from porta gate; akin to Latin portus port — more at ford

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near porch

Cite this Entry

“Porch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porch. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

porch

noun
ˈpōrch How to pronounce porch (audio)
ˈpȯrch
: a covered entrance to a building usually with a separate roof

More from Merriam-Webster on porch

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