portal

1 of 2

noun

por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl 

plural portals

1

: door, entrance

especially : a grand or imposing one

2

: the whole architectural composition surrounding and including the doorways and porches of a church

the cathedral's west portal

3

: the approach or entrance to a bridge or tunnel

construction of a new tunnel portal

4

: a communicating part or area of an organism

specifically : the point at which something (such as a pathogen) enters the body

5

: an online platform (such as a website) that provides access to services or information of a specific kind

a news portal

a payment portal

Patients can also use the portal to message their UVA Health providers, see lab results and medication history and see their upcoming appointments.

—Donna Staton

The jobs portal is also a tool that will help bring qualified candidates to employers' job openings.

—Paul Schott

The NCAA transfer portal is an online database meant to streamline the first step of an athlete's transfer process.

—Victoria Moorwood

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 of portal

Noun

• door
• gate

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

Dawson entered the transfer portal on April 9 after his one season at KU was complete. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026

For a kid who loved drawing, the box, with its many drawers, was a portal to a sparkling, colorful world. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

There still exists in him the hope for a return to his idealistic notion of the box being a portal for dimensional advancement, where diseases could be cured, peace could be achieved, and a techno-utopia might be possible across all worlds. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

The Ducks struggled last season, going 12-20, and the program lost nine players to the transfer portal and three to graduation in the offseason. — Anne M. Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

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

15th 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

Rhymes for portal

• mortal
• quartile
• immortal

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