To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Definition of portage
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : the labor of carrying or transporting
3a : the carrying of boats or goods overland from one body of water to another or around an obstacle (such as a rapids)
b : the route followed in making such a transfer
portage
verbportaged; portaging
Definition of portage (Entry 2 of 3)
: to carry over a portage
: to move gear over a portage
Portage
geographical nameDefinition of Portage (Entry 3 of 3)
1 city on Lake Michigan in northwestern Indiana east of Gary population 36,828
2 city in southwestern Michigan south of Kalamazoo population 46,292
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quizSemantic Drift Quiz
A challenging quiz of changing words.
Take the quizSpell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quizDictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?
Play the game
Share portage
Time Traveler for portage
The first known use of portage was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century