portray

verb

por·​tray pȯr-ˈtrā 

pər-

portrayed; portraying; portrays

transitive verb

1

: to make a picture of : depict

2

a

: to describe in words

b

: to play the role of : enact

portrayer noun

Synonyms

• delineate
• depict
• describe
• draw
• image
• limn
• paint
• picture
• render
• set out
• sketch

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

Related Articles The Newfound Fervor for Indigenous Art Masks Thorny Questions MoMA Made a Solid Choice for Its Next Director, But Not an Inspiring One One segment portrays a church set ablaze, with Sámi protesters holding wooden spears at a group of Norwegian settlers in retreat. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025

During her time in WWE, Barbie Blank portrayed Kelly Kelly. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025

His ability to portray complex characters with warmth has left a lasting impact, ensuring future generations recognize his legacy as one of the great entertainers. —Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Actors reportedly wore between three to five layers of clothing daily to authentically portray the social hierarchy and cultural elements of the period. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Mar. 2025

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