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Portage was borrowed from French back in the 15th century to mean "carrying, transporting" or "freight", and it has kept its simple "carrying" sense to the present day. But its first known use in its "carrying of boats" sense came in 1698, and the obstacle that the canoes couldn't be steered over was none other than Niagara Falls. Though canoes are much lighter today than they used to be, a long portage that includes a lot of camping gear can still test a camper's strength.
Examples of portage in a Sentence
Larry Rohter, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023
The fifth session, an intermediate level program with a three- to four-mile paddle with a portage, will go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 11 at Glenwood Forest Preserve, 1644 S. River St. in Batavia.
—Beacon-News Staff, chicagotribune.com, 5 Apr. 2022
There are also boat launch areas and portage points as the park covers the main belt of the Kawartha Lakes.
—Miriam Porter, Forbes, 5 May 2023
Another exhausting portage began amid sheets of rain.
—Larry Rohter, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023
Ryan Redington, grandson of Iditarod architect Joe Redington Sr., arrived first into the Norton Sound community of Unalakleet early Sunday morning after making the long 85-mile run over the portage from Kaltag without stopping.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Mar. 2023
South is also getting a new portage built.
—Jordan Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 July 2021
The trail was intermittently paved and gravel, paralleling the Cuyahoga River and the ruins of locks that once served as a portage for ships carrying goods from Lake Erie down to the Ohio River.
—Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 1 Feb. 2023
The main difference between the two routes lies in the stretch of trail between the checkpoint of Ophir — about 340 miles into the race — and Kaltag, the last stop before a long overland portage to the Bering Sea Coast.
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Feb. 2023
Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 27 July 2023
Many simply portage around it.
—Carson Vaughan, Outside Online, 27 Jan. 2020
Beaver dams are already making hunting and fishing more difficult for some people in the Arctic, forcing them to portage their canoes around the dams, for example.
—Sharon Levy, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'portage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from porter to carry
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1836, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near portage
Cite this Entry
“Portage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portage. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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Geographical Definition
Portage
geographical name
More from Merriam-Webster on portage
Nglish: Translation of portage for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about portage
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