portal

1 of 2

noun

por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl How to pronounce portal (audio)
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

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
On October 24th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights data breach portal updated the total number of people impacted by the UnitedHealth data breach to 100 million, marking the first time the company has officially quantified the breach's scope. Lars Daniel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 The game can be found in the entertainment section after logging in to the Wi-Fi portal with your SkyMiles membership number on your mobile device. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2024 The bed bugs were first reported to the county on Oct. 21, via two different messages to its online complaint portal. Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2024 Army and Navy each had a handful of players enter the transfer portal last year. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for portal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'portal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of portal was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near portal

Cite this Entry

“Portal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portal. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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 How to pronounce portal (audio)
: a communicating part or area of an organism: as
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 How to pronounce Portal (audio)
Charles Frederick Algernon 1893–1971 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford British air marshal

More from Merriam-Webster on portal

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