portal

1 of 2

noun

por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl 

plural portals

1

: door, entrance

especially : a grand or imposing one

2

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

the cathedral's west portal

3

: the approach or entrance to a bridge or tunnel

construction of a new tunnel portal

4

: a communicating part or area of an organism

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

5

: an online platform (such as a website) that provides access to services or information of a specific kind

a news portal

a payment portal

Patients can also use the portal to message their UVA Health providers, see lab results and medication history and see their upcoming appointments.

—Donna Staton

The jobs portal is also a tool that will help bring qualified candidates to employers' job openings.

—Paul Schott

The NCAA transfer portal is an online database meant to streamline the first step of an athlete's transfer process.

—Victoria Moorwood

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

The Horned Frogs only saw four players enter the transfer portal and none were expected to be significant contributors this season. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2025

Transfer portal Campbell hasn’t written much about the portal, and Texas Tech has been an active user in recent years. —Chris Vannini, New York Times, 13 May 2025

But the game is attractive in its own way: Demonic portals glow violently and cast an orange light around the rocky environment, and beaming light shafts highlight ghastly scenes, like impaled soldiers and other gruesome wreckage. —Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 12 May 2025

Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams and St. John’s R.J. Luis, who are in both the NBA Draft pool and transfer portal, will attend this week’s NBA Draft Combine. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2025

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

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1754, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing portal

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

Rhymes for portal

• mortal
• quartile
• immortal

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