port

1 of 10

noun (1)

ˈpȯrt How to pronounce port (audio)
Synonyms of portnext
1
: a place where ships may ride secure from storms : haven
2
a
: a harbor town or city where ships may take on or discharge cargo
b
: airport
3
: port of entry

port

2 of 10

noun (2)

1
chiefly Scotland : gate
2
a
: an opening (as in a valve seat or valve face) for intake or exhaust of a fluid
b
: the area of opening in a cylinder face of a passageway for the working fluid in an engine
also : such a passageway
c
: a small opening in a container or vessel especially for viewing or for the controlled passage of material
access port
3
a
: an opening in a vessel's side (as for admitting light or loading cargo)
b
archaic : the cover for a porthole
4
: a hole in an armored vehicle or fortification through which guns may be fired
5
: a hardware interface by which a computer is connected to another device (such as a printer, a mouse, or another computer)
broadly : jack sense 4

port

3 of 10

noun (3)

1
: the manner of bearing oneself
2
archaic : state sense 3
3
: the position in which a military weapon is carried at the command port arms

port

4 of 10

verb (1)

ported; porting; ports

transitive verb

: to turn or put (a helm) to the left
—used chiefly as a command

port

5 of 10

noun (4)

: the left side of a ship or aircraft looking forward

called also larboard

compare starboard

port

6 of 10

adjective

: located on the left side of a ship or airplane looking forward : of, relating to, or situated to port
The forward and port staterooms share a head and both feature upper/lower bunks.—Dex Hart

port

7 of 10

noun (5)

: a sweet fortified wine of rich taste and aroma made in Portugal
also : a similar wine made elsewhere

port

8 of 10

verb (2)

ported; porting; ports

transitive verb

: to translate (software) into a version for another computer or operating system

port

9 of 10

abbreviation (1)

1
portable
2
portrait

Port

10 of 10

abbreviation (2)

Portugal

Synonyms

Noun (1)

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of port in a Sentence

Noun (1) the cruise ship stops at each port for one night only
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Reuters reported that, among the 65 oil tankers that have dropped anchor, were five off Chinese ports, seven off Singapore, and others near Russia in the Baltic Sea and the Far East. —John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025 In January, the Siberian city of Magadan averages a high of 9 degrees F, its port on the Pacific kept accessible only with the aid of icebreakers. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
The deal provides port workers with a 61.5% wage increase over the next six years, although that is lower than the 77% increase the union had originally sought. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2025 Dock funding includes federal, state grants The project will be funded with $4 million in federal and state grants, $7.64 million in port cash reserves, and $5 million from city taxpayers. —Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
That involves more than just porting a few AAA titles. —Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2024 Allowing voluntary data porting by consumers can lead to possible unraveling (i.e., customers are compelled to share data as non-disclosure will be perceived negatively by providers) and negative data externality for customers who don’t share data. —Ron Shevlin, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for port 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English & Anglo-French, from Latin portus — more at ford

Noun (2)

Middle English porte, from Anglo-French, gate, door, from Latin porta passage, gate; akin to Latin portus port

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from porter to carry, from Latin portare

Noun (4) and Verb (1)

probably from port entry 1 or port entry 2

Noun (5)

Oporto, Portugal

Verb (2)

perhaps from port entry 2 (hardware interface)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1580, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

circa 1544, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1842, in the meaning defined above

Noun (5)

circa 1626, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1984, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of port was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing port

Dictionary Entries Near port

Porro prism

port

Port

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Port.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/port. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

port

1 of 5 noun
ˈpōrt How to pronounce port (audio)
ˈpȯrt
1
: a place where ships may take shelter from storms
2
: a harbor town or city where ships load or unload cargo
3
: airport

port

2 of 5 noun
1
a
: an opening (as in machinery) for gas, steam, or water to go in or out
b
: a place of entry into a system
2
: porthole sense 1
3
: Jack entry 1 sense 7

port

3 of 5 verb
: to turn (the helm of a ship) to the left
—used chiefly as a command

port

4 of 5 noun
: the left side of a ship or aircraft looking forward
port adjective

port

5 of 5 noun
: a rich sweet wine
Etymology

Noun

Middle English port "a place for ships to be secured," from Old English port and early French port (both, same meaning), from Latin portus (same meaning)

Noun

Middle English porte "gate, an opening in the side of a ship for light or moving cargo in or out," from early French porte "door, gate," from Latin porta "passage, gate" — related to portal

Noun

probably from 1port "a place for ships to be secured" or 2port "an opening in the side of a ship"; so called because early sailing vessels kept the left side toward the port because the steering mechanism was always on the right side see Word History at starboard

Noun

Oporto, Portugal

Medical Definition

port

noun
ˈpȯrt How to pronounce port (audio)
: an opening, passage, or channel through which something can be introduced into the body: as
a
: a small medical device (as of plastic or titanium) that is implanted below the skin, is attached to a catheter typically inserted into a blood vessel, and has a small opening through which a needle can be inserted to administer fluids or drugs or withdraw blood
b
: an incision (as one made between intercostal spaces) for passing a medical instrument (as an endoscope) into the body

More from Merriam-Webster on port

Nglish: Translation of port for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of port for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about port

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.