Portuguese
noun
Por·tu·guese
ˈpȯr-chə-ˌgēz 
-ˌgēs;
ˌpȯr-chə-ˈgēz,
-ˈgēs
plural Portuguese
1
a
: a native or inhabitant of Portugal
b
: one who is of Portuguese descent
2
: the Romance language of Portugal and Brazil
Portuguese
adjective
Examples of Portuguese in a Sentence
She is teaching her son Portuguese.
the customs of the Portuguese
Recent Examples on the Web
What languages does Pope Leo XIV speak? Leo XIV speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
—
Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
His mixed heritage—Kurdish, German, Portuguese, Angolan—defies Hollywood's reductive casting logic.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 30 June 2025
At the time of the incident, there were 21 total people on board the tourist flight, eight of whom have since been confirmed dead, Mello said in an X post, which was originally penned in Portuguese.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 21 June 2025
One of those communities is Portuguese Bend, which is still experiencing significant landslide movement in many areas, as much as several inches a week, according to data from this spring.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for Portuguese
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
His mixed heritage—Kurdish, German, Portuguese, Angolan—defies Hollywood's reductive casting logic.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 30 June 2025
At the time of the incident, there were 21 total people on board the tourist flight, eight of whom have since been confirmed dead, Mello said in an X post, which was originally penned in Portuguese.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 21 June 2025
One of those communities is Portuguese Bend, which is still experiencing significant landslide movement in many areas, as much as several inches a week, according to data from this spring.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for Portuguese
Cite this Entry
“Portuguese.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Portuguese. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Portuguese
noun
Por·tu·guese
ˈpōr-chə-ˌgēz
ˈpȯr-
ˈpȯr-
-ˌgēs;
ˌpōr-chə-ˈgēz,
ˌpȯr-,
-ˈgēs
plural Portuguese
1
: a person born or living in Portugal
2
: the language of Portugal and Brazil
Portuguese
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share