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

In the episode, Eilish portrayed the leader of a women’s empowerment cult that lures the main character, Dre (Dominique Fishback), into her charming clutches. —Annie Harrigan, Billboard, 11 Mar. 2026

The play’s d’Artagnan (played by Akur) is no more heroic or distinctive than Athos (played by Cipa Frost), Porthos (portrayed by Lily Rae O’Neil) or Aramis (played by Ella Wolff). —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026

Suspects pop up everywhere, many portrayed by recognizable guest stars. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2026

Stonestreet portrayed the beloved character on all eleven seasons of Modern Family, a role which earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe nominations and four SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 11 Mar. 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
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

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