porter

noun (1)

por·ter | \ ˈpȯr-tər

Definition of porter

(Entry 1 of 9)

chiefly British

: a person stationed at a door or gate to admit or assist those entering

porter

noun (2)

Definition of porter (Entry 2 of 9)

1 : a person who carries burdens especially : one employed to carry baggage for patrons at a hotel or transportation terminal

2 : a parlor-car or sleeping-car attendant who waits on passengers and makes up berths

3 [ short for porter's beer ] : a heavy dark brown beer brewed from browned or charred malt

4 : a person who does routine cleaning (as in a hospital or office)

porter

verb

portered; portering; porters

Definition of porter (Entry 3 of 9)

transitive verb

: to transport or carry as or as if by a porter

intransitive verb

: to act as a porter

Porter

biographical name (1)

Por·ter | \ ˈpȯr-tər

Definition of Porter (Entry 4 of 9)

Cole Albert 1891–1964 American songwriter

Porter

biographical name (2)

Definition of Porter (Entry 5 of 9)

David 1780–1843 and his son David Dixon 1813–1891 American naval officers

Porter

biographical name (3)

Definition of Porter (Entry 6 of 9)

Gene 1868–1924 née Stratton American novelist

Porter

biographical name (4)

Definition of Porter (Entry 7 of 9)

Katherine Anne 1890–1980 American writer

Porter

biographical name (5)

Definition of Porter (Entry 8 of 9)

Noah 1811–1892 American philosopher and lexicographer

Porter

biographical name (6)

Definition of Porter (Entry 9 of 9)

William Sydney 1862–1910 pseudonym O. Henry \ (ˈ)ō-ˈhen-rē

\ American short-story writer

History and Etymology for porter

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin portarius, from Latin porta gate — more at port

Noun (2)

Middle English portour, from Anglo-French porteour, from Late Latin portator, from Latin portare to carry — more at fare

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for porter

porter

noun

por·ter | \ ˈpȯr-tər

Kids Definition of porter

1 : a person whose job is to carry baggage (as at a hotel)

2 : a person whose job is helping passengers on a train

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

hobbyhorse

a topic to which one constantly reverts

Test Your Vocabulary

Where in the World? A Quiz

What language does pajama come from?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

porter

Definition of porter

First Known Use of porter

History and Etymology for porter

Learn More about porter

Dictionary Entries near porter

Statistics for porter

The first known use of porter was in the 13th century