portfolio

noun port·fo·lio \ pȯrt-ˈfō-lē-ˌō \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of portfolio

plural portfolios

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

[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

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Recent Examples of portfolio from the Web

Attorneys for Tower MD and Lerner, a 92-year-old billionaire developer who has amassed one of the largest portfolios of commercial and residential real estate in the D.C. area,did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

— jennifer barrios, Washington Post, "With the scent of Amazon HQ2 in the air, owners of White Flint Mall are fighting," 3 Apr. 2018
Under the constitution, the military holds special privileges in the country's administration, including a 25 percent share of parliamentary seats and the three security portfolios in the Cabinet.

— Bloomberg.com, "Myanmar Parliament Elects Suu Kyi Loyalist as New President," 28 Mar. 2018
After meeting with the Attorney General's office Rep. Ziobron is confident that the right people are taking an active role into the review of all records pertaining to the properties in East Haddam and the entire portfolio of the organization.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Colchester Edition," 27 Mar. 2018
But the debate now revolves around whether Lerer Hippeau will win the smaller, younger portfolio of Binary’s second fund.

— theodore schleifer, Recode, "Lerer Hippeau is taking over Binary Capital’s portfolio after Justin Caldbeck’s departure," 26 Mar. 2018
Her responsibilities cover over 54 different businesses under the Comcast portfolio of companies.

— Fortune, "The 50 Most Powerful Latinas in Business," 14 Mar. 2018
The average number of stocks in global equity portfolios has halved, from 121 to 61 (see chart).

— The Economist, "Equity investingActive fund managers hold fewer and fewer stocks," 10 Mar. 2018
The portfolios of Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase undoubtedly include investments in health-care companies that would be harmed by disruptive innovation.

— robert graboyes, National Review, "Seven Suggestions for the Amazon-Berkshire-JP Morgan Health Project," 13 Feb. 2018
Stay: Originally opened by the Ferragamo family, Castiglion del Bosco is now part of the Rosewood portfolio, and continues to expand its offerings—archery, horseback riding, golf, and vineyard tours are among the amenities.

— ondine cohane, Condé Nast Traveler, "A Guide to Tuscan Wine Country," 13 Feb. 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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of portfolio

Italian portafoglio, from portare to carry (from Latin) + foglio leaf, sheet, from Latin folium — more at blade

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1713

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, rentier, stagflation, usurer

PORTFOLIO Defined for English Language Learners

portfolio

noun

Definition of portfolio for English Language Learners

: a flat case for carrying documents or drawings
: a set of drawings, paintings, or photographs that are presented together in a folder
finance : the investments that are owned by a person or organization