Portuguese

noun

Por·​tu·​guese ˈpȯr-chə-ˌgēz 

-ˌgēs;

ˌpȯr-chə-ˈgēz,

-ˈgēs 

plural Portuguese

1

a

: a native or inhabitant of Portugal

b

: one who is of Portuguese descent

2

: the Romance language of Portugal and Brazil

Portuguese adjective

Examples of Portuguese in a Sentence

She is teaching her son Portuguese.

the customs of the Portuguese

Recent Examples on the Web

An Italian cardinal, Giovanni Battista Re, presided over the funeral mass, predominantly speaking in Latin, but with prayers also conducted in Polish, Chinese, Arabic and Portuguese. —Willem Marx, NPR, 26 Apr. 2025

Izzy has global rights and launched it last month in 12 languages, including English, Hebrew, Yiddish, French, Spanish, Turkish, Arabic and Portuguese. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2025

In Portuguese, the bird comes from the Netherlands. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025

Photo : Motorsport Images and ACC Art Books From left: Ayrton Senna (Lotus), Alain Prost (McLaren), Nigel Mansell (Williams), and Nelson Piquet (Williams) pose together at the 1986 Portuguese Grand Prix. —Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese português, adjective & noun, from Portugal

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Portuguese

• Portuguese man-of-war
• Portuguese water dog
• the Portuguese

Rhymes for Portuguese

• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes
• assamese

Kids Definition

Portuguese

noun

Por·​tu·​guese ˈpōr-chə-ˌgēz  ˈpȯr- 

-ˌgēs;

ˌpōr-chə-ˈgēz,

ˌpȯr-,

-ˈgēs

plural Portuguese

1

: a person born or living in Portugal

2

: the language of Portugal and Brazil

Portuguese adjective