portal

1 of 2

noun

por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• door
• gate
• hatch

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

Monday's trailer teases some connections to the wider MCU, including with what looks to be a giant Ant-Man helmet, and Deadpool and Wolverine are seen jumping into what appears to be one of Doctor Strange's portals. —USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024

The trailer teased additional connections to the MCU with brief shots of what appear to be Ant-Man’s helmet and skull, and one of Doctor Strange’s portals. —Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

Charlotte added 29 players in December and has continued to build through the transfer portal through the spring. —Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2024

Hill, 5-10, 190 pounds, entered the NCAA transfer portal after the 2023 season and committed to Florida A&M in December, but then reopened his recruitment and committed to Miami (Fla.) before eventually settling on the Rattlers again. —Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024

Graduate students can already transfer multiple times and enter the portal outside the windows while maintaining immediate eligibility. —Ralph D. Russo, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024

Some rogue agents troll online enrollment portals that are accessible only to brokers but are integrated with the HealthCare.gov website. —Julie Appleby, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024

Dutcher currently has two scholarships available, with Cade Alger and Parrish in the transfer portal. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024

Edge rusher might be the team’s thinnest position after coach DeShaun Foster confirmed Tuesday that Choe Bryant-Strother had entered the transfer portal, becoming the latest edge rusher to depart. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

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

Phrases Containing portal

• portal system
• portal-to-portal
• portal vein

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 

: a communicating part or area of an organism: as

a

: portal vein

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 

Charles Frederick Algernon 1893–1971 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford British air marshal