portfolio

noun port·fo·lio \ pȯrt-ˈfō-lē-ˌō \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

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

The program would be overseen by a retirement savings board that would hire a private firm to manage a portfolio.

— adam ashton, sacbee, "Taxpayer group sues to block California retirement accounts," 31 May 2018
In those days, Fidelity’s portfolio managers were the root of the firm’s success.

— New York Times, "Fidelity, Bruised From Crises, Searches for Life After Mutual Funds," 27 May 2018
Chris Marangi, portfolio manager at Gamco Investors, which is a shareholder in both Fox and Comcast, said that a bidding war could be brewing — but also noted that the companies could reach a compromise.

— NBC News, "Comcast announces plan to outbid Disney for Fox assets," 23 May 2018
Barry Sharpe is the managing member of Property Tax Appeal Group, petitioning assessments and Sharpe Properties, who own a portfolio of commercial properties in South Florida.

— barry sharpe, miamiherald, "Florida’s real estate bubble: We may now know when it will pop | Miami Herald," 14 May 2018
The brand’s rise followed the 2004 hiring of a veteran brewer, Chuck Silva, with a portfolio of distinctive recipes.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Gone in a Flash: What Green Flash's woes mean to craft beer," 6 May 2018
So is a pair of Greenwich Democrats — John Blankley, a former energy and shipping executive who served on the town’s finance board, and Dita Bhargava, a one-time Wall Street portfolio manager and former state party vice chairwoman.

— neil vigdor, courant.com, "Luke Bronin Endorses Shawn Wooden For State Treasurer," 26 Apr. 2018
With a maturity of 10.5 years, the bonds are heavily exposed to further rises in interest rates, said John McClain, a portfolio manager at Diamond Hill Capital Management.

— bloomberg, latimes.com, "Netflix is selling $1.9 billion of junk bonds to fund more shows," 23 Apr. 2018
Allogene Therapeutics, which was unveiled Tuesday morning, has raised $300 million to acquire and advance a portfolio of experimental cell therapies previously controlled by Pfizer.

— rebecca robbins, STAT, "Sign up for our biotech newsletter, The Readout," 3 Apr. 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