port of entry

noun phrase

1

: a place where foreign goods may be cleared through a customhouse

2

: a place (such as an airport or border crossing) where a person may be permitted to enter a country

Examples of port of entry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Banuelos will face an immigration judge before being processed through the port of entry, officials said. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026

But if the government may block asylum seekers at ports of entry before they are deemed to have arrived in the United States, many will be forced toward the very crossings the government then condemns. — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 5 July 2026

Two high-profile leaders in the US Catholic church have told CNN that Pope Leo’s July 4 visit to the island, the main port of entry to Europe for hundreds of thousands of mostly African migrants, sends a message to the US about immigration. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

Today, the nation spends billions to screen entrants using cutting-edge biometric tools, and thousands of Customs and Border Protection officers are stationed at every international airport and port of entry in the country. — Amanda Frost, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for port of entry

• complementary
• elementary
• gentry
• sentry