portal

1 of 2

noun

por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl 

1

: door, entrance

especially : a grand or imposing one

2

: the whole architectural composition surrounding and including the doorways and porches of a church

3

: the approach or entrance to a bridge or tunnel

4

: a communicating part or area of an organism

specifically : the point at which something (such as a pathogen) enters the body

5

: a website serving as a guide or point of entry to the World Wide Web and usually including a search engine or a collection of links to other sites arranged especially by topic

portal

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of or relating to the transverse fissure on the underside of the liver where most of the vessels enter

2

: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system

portal circulation

Synonyms

Noun

• door
• gate
• hatch

Examples of portal in a Sentence

Noun

a Web portal for baseball fans

the main portal to the estate is an elaborate wrought iron gate on the side facing the road

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Edge rusher might be the team’s thinnest position after coach DeShaun Foster confirmed Tuesday that Choe Bryant-Strother had entered the transfer portal, becoming the latest edge rusher to depart. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

After getting his degree at Utah State, Vaughns jumped in the portal again as a grad transfer, finishing his career at Baylor in 2023. —Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024

The Razorbacks have lost all of their scholarship players — 5 exhausted their eligibility, 7 entered the NCAA transfer portal and Trevon Brazile declared for the NBA Draft. —Anthony Kristensen, arkansasonline.com, 10 Apr. 2024

Keatts spoke at the Raleigh Sports Club last summer, and the subject of the transfer portal and NIL came up. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024

But the former Stanford players who have entered the portal are interested in NIL money just like everyone else. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024

So far, the fundraiser has raised nearly half a million dollars since the donation portal opened in February, Flavia Llizo, co-president and chief development officer for the Jackson Health Foundation, told the Miami Herald. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024

Every time Mark flies toward him, Angstrom opens up a portal and strands Mark in a different dimension. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024

Yesufu is the sixth player from WSU’s 2023-24 team to enter the portal. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin portale city gate, porch, from neuter of portalis of a gate, from Latin porta gate — more at port

Adjective

New Latin porta transverse fissure of the liver, from Latin, gate

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1754, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing portal

• portal-to-portal
• portal system
• portal vein

Kids Definition

portal

noun

por·​tal

ˈpōrt-ᵊl,

ˈpȯrt-

1

: a large or imposing door or entrance

2

: a website serving as a guide or point of entry to the Internet

Etymology

Noun

Middle English portal "door, the structure around a door," from early French portal (same meaning), derived from Latin portalis (adjective) "of a gate," from porta "gate, passage" — related to port entry 2

Medical Definition

portal

1 of 2 noun

por·​tal ˈpȯrt-ᵊl 

: a communicating part or area of an organism: as

a

: portal vein

b

: the point at which something enters the body

portals of infection

portal

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of or relating to the porta hepatis

2

: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system

portal blood

portal circulation

Biographical Definition

Portal

biographical name

Por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl 

Charles Frederick Algernon 1893–1971 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford British air marshal