portfolio

noun

port·fo·lio | \ pȯrt-ˈfō-lē-ˌō

plural portfolios

Definition of portfolio

1 : a hinged cover or flexible case for carrying loose papers, pictures, or pamphlets

2 [ from the use of such a case to carry documents of state ] : the office and functions of a minister of state or member of a cabinet

3 : the securities held by an investor : the commercial paper held by a financial house (such as a bank)

4 : a set of pictures (such as drawings or photographs) usually bound in book form or loose in a folder

5 : a selection of a student's work (such as papers and tests) compiled over a period of time and used for assessing performance or progress

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about portfolio

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Did You Know?

Portfolio is partly based on the Latin folium, meaning "leaf, sheet". A portfolio usually represents a portable showcase of your talents. Today actual portfolios are used less than they used to be by artists, since most commercial artists have a Web site dedicated to showing off their art. But portfolio in its other common meaning is extremely common. Not so long ago, a broker would keep each of his or her clients' investments in a separate notebook or portfolio. Today the investment portfolio, like an artist's portfolio, usually takes the form of a Web page, even though everyone still uses the same old word.

Examples of portfolio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carolyn Kenyon and Judith Jones raised $12,500 and sent it to the debt-forgiveness charity R.I.P. Medical Debt, which then bought a portfolio of $1.5 million of medical debts for half a penny on the dollar on their behalf. — Korin Miller, SELF, "How 2 Women Bought and Forgave More Than $1 Million in Strangers' Medical Debt," 7 Dec. 2018 Well, not really, the cosmetics entrepreneur has an impressive real-estate portfolio that includes homes in Calabasas and Hidden Hills. — Araceli Cruz, Teen Vogue, "Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott Are Splitting the Cost of Their New $13 Million Los Angeles Mansion," 29 Oct. 2018 Dan Prisacaru founded the latter, a small company with an impressive portfolio of wines including the lush Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend Negru Împărat. — Alia Akkam, Vogue, "Why Moldova Is a Wine Destination Worth Knowing Now," 27 Sep. 2018 The Crown Estate, which was negotiated between Parliament and King George III in 1760, is a real estate portfolio that boasts some of Britain's priciest properties — including Buckingham Palace. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "A Look at How Queen Elizabeth Has Amassed Such a Large Net Worth," 26 July 2018 The limits on Kushner's intelligence access could complicate his ability to manage a portfolio that includes meeting with foreign leaders on Trump's behalf and crafting a Middle East peace plan. — Carol D. Leonnig, Anchorage Daily News, "Limits still remain on security clearance for Trump son-in-law Kushner," 13 July 2018 The group now has more than 1,000 rangers and manages an ecologically diverse portfolio of 15 areas in nine countries, totaling about 105,000 square kilometers (40,500 square miles). — Christopher Torchia, Fox News, "Backed by Prince Harry, conservation group expands in Africa," 7 July 2018 Since 2012, Parsons, through YAM Properties, has scooped up commercial properties across metro Phoenix, creating an ever-expanding portfolio of at least 16 properties. — Jen Fifield, azcentral, "GoDaddy founder, who 'doesn't do anything small,' buys Westgate district in Glendale," 12 June 2018 The New York company’s primary assets are a lucrative 277-film library, a television production business, and an unreleased film portfolio that includes four distribution-ready films and other projects in various stages of development. — Time, "Private Equity Firm Lantern Capital to Acquire Bankrupt Weinstein Company," 3 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'portfolio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.