portray

verb

por·​tray pȯr-ˈtrā 

pər-

portrayed; portraying; portrays

transitive verb

1

: to make a picture of : depict

2

a

: to describe in a particular way

The article portrayed the president as confident.

b

: to play the role of : enact

portrays the hero in the film

portrayer noun

Synonyms of portray

• describe
• depict

Examples of portray in a Sentence

The White House has portrayed the President as deeply conflicted over the matter.

The lawyer portrayed his client as a victim of child abuse.

He portrayed himself as a victim.

The painting portrays the queen in a purple robe.

Laurence Olivier portrayed Hamlet beautifully.

Recent Examples on the Web

For Off Campus actresses Ella Bright and Mika Abdalla, who portray best friends and roommates Hannah Wells and Allie Hayes in Season 1 of the Prime Video adaptation based on Elle Kennedy’s books, a key scene in the finale served as their chemistry read. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 15 May 2026

Some narratives portray the outbreak as an imminent global pandemic. —Steve Brozak, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

Some have portrayed family caregivers as illegitimately cashing in on government largesse. —Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 15 May 2026

In the past, Chicago has portrayed multiple East Coast cities — even Santa Monica and European locales. —Kathy A. McDonald, Variety, 15 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English portraien, purtrayen, purtreyen "to draw, paint, depict, decorate, form a mental image of," borrowed from Anglo-French purtraire "to represent (in drawing, painting, etc.), depict, decorate, plan" (also continental Old French pourtraire), from pur-, pour-, por-, prefix marking completion of an action (going back to Latin prō-, prefix denoting forward movement) + traire "to drag, pull, draw out, launch, shoot, trace, represent," going back to Latin trahere "to drag, draw, take along" — more at pro- entry 2, abstract entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for portray

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway

Kids Definition

portray

verb

por·​tray pōr-ˈtrā 

pȯr-

1

: to make a portrait of

2

a

: to describe in words

b

: to play the role of

portrayer noun