1
as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to characterize
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
traditionally, European authors portrayed the natives as wise and noble
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3
as in to depict
to present a picture of
a landscape that portrays the scenery near the town where the painter grew up
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4
as in to play
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portray
Scarlett, Sienna and Emily so convincingly portray sisters.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025
Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams Guzmán portrays Morticia's husband and the affable Addams family patriarch in the Netflix series.
—Karli Bendlin, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The alleged video portrayed her topless while performing at the previous evening's Hoosier Idol event, an annual state talent show and fundraiser, according to 24sightNews' reporting.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 7 Aug. 2025
Players will investigate real manuscripts and historic accounts that complicate established theories; probe characters portrayed by actors and explore restricted areas in landmark monuments, some of which have never been accessed by non-custodians.
—Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025
Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams Guzmán portrays Morticia's husband and the affable Addams family patriarch in the Netflix series.
—Karli Bendlin, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The alleged video portrayed her topless while performing at the previous evening's Hoosier Idol event, an annual state talent show and fundraiser, according to 24sightNews' reporting.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 7 Aug. 2025
Players will investigate real manuscripts and historic accounts that complicate established theories; probe characters portrayed by actors and explore restricted areas in landmark monuments, some of which have never been accessed by non-custodians.
—Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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The post described troops working behind the scenes in police offices, and conducting traffic management and manning perimeters around crime scenes when necessary.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
17 Aug. 2025
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At least seven students at a Park Hill School District middle school described uncomfortable interactions with Washington to Platte County Sheriff’s Office detectives, court records show.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Human social organization is characterized by groups that have linkages between them that form larger communities, notes Seyfarth.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
6 Aug. 2025
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These symptoms may include fever, fatigue, and nausea, but a chikungunya infection is characterized by the accompanying severe joint pain that can last for months or years.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His work, in turn, was a bronze version of a colorful fountain made of cement, also depicting the three kneeling women, and which, from 1931 to 1965, had been on display at the center of Morelia.—
Eric Adler
August 17,
Kansas City Star,
17 Aug. 2025
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Meta’s guidelines declared that depicting adults, including the elderly, receiving punches or kicks was acceptable.—
Douglas B. Laney,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Indianapolis Colts are playing against the Baltimore Ravens in the 7 p.m. EDT slot followed by the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals at 7:30 p.m. EDT and the Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks at 10 p.m. EDT.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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In their new action-comedy movie The Pickup, Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson play armored truck drivers who are reluctantly pulled into a casino heist when a burglar (Keke Palmer) hijacks their vehicle.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Kevin Keegan won the Ballon D’Or twice while representing German club Hamburger SV in 1978 and 1979.—
Asif Burhan,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Board member Mike Goodman, who represents the San Tan Valley area, was thrilled with the unofficial results.—
Maritza Dominguez,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When culture starts performing alignment instead of living it, most companies reach for fixes: tighter messaging, new values, more playbooks.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Goose will perform at the Park City Song Summit this weekend before continuing their ongoing tour through the fall.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Many have interpreted this deal, in particular the 10% stake, as a back-end way for ESPN to guarantee proximity to its most valuable content partner.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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The brain activates visuospatial processing zones and interprets content as physically present.—
Olya Osokina,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In 2024-2025 the lodge stayed open for the winter, doing events like winemaker dinners.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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Russia has a 50-year goal, to re-unite parts of the old Soviet Union; Ukraine has a more immediate goal, to stop the war and not give up any territory to do so.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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