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port

1 American  
[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

  1. a city, town, or other place where ships load or unload.

  2. a place along a coast in which ships may take refuge from storms; harbor.

    Synonyms:
    anchorage

  3. Also called port of entry.  Law. any place where persons and merchandise are allowed to pass, by water or land, into and out of a country and where customs officers are stationed to inspect or appraise imported goods.

  4. a geographical area that forms a harbor.

    the largest port on the eastern seaboard.

  5. Informal. an airport.

port 2 American  
[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

  1. the left-hand side of a vessel or aircraft, facing forward.

adjective

  1. pertaining to or designating port.

  2. located on the left side of a vessel or aircraft.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to turn or shift to the port, or left, side.

port 3 American  
[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

  1. any of a class of very sweet wines, mostly dark-red, originally from Portugal.

port 4 American  
[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

  1. an opening in the side or other exterior part of a ship for admitting air and light or for taking on cargo.

  2. Machinery. an aperture in the surface of a cylinder, for the passage of steam, air, water, etc.

  3. a small aperture in an armored vehicle, aircraft, or fortification through which a gun can be fired or a camera directed.

  4. Computers.

    1. a physical connection in a computer to which a peripheral device or a transmission line from a remote terminal can be attached.

    2. Also called port number.  a numerical code that identifies an origin or destination within an IP address.

      Routers can be configured to change ports within the local network.

  5. the raised center portion on a bit for horses.

  6. Chiefly Scot. a gate or portal, as to a town or fortress.

port 5 American  
[pawrt] / pɔrt /

verb (used with object)

  1. Military. to carry (a rifle or other weapon) with both hands, in a slanting direction across the front of the body, with the barrel or like part near the left shoulder.

  2. Computers. to rewrite the source code of (a program) in a different programming language, or modify it to run on a different hardware platform or operating system (sometimes followed byover ).

    The publisher is porting several classic games to next-generation consoles.

    Our test suite may be useful if you are modifying the compiler, or porting it to a new system.

noun

  1. Military. the position of a rifle or other weapon when ported.

  2. Digital Technology, Computers. a version of an existing program, such as a video game, written to run on a different platform or operating system.

  3. Archaic. manner of bearing oneself; carriage or deportment.

Port. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Portugal.

  2. Portuguese.

port 1 British  
/ pɔːt /

verb

  1. (tr) to carry (a rifle, etc) in a position diagonally across the body with the muzzle near the left shoulder

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. this position

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
port 2 British  
/ pɔːt /

noun

  1. a sweet fortified dessert wine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Port. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. Portugal

  2. Portuguese

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
port 4 British  
/ pɔːt /

noun

  1. Also called (formerly): larboard. 

    1. the left side of an aircraft or vessel when facing the nose or bow

    2. ( as modifier ) Compare starboard

      the port bow
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to turn or be turned towards the port

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
port 5 British  
/ pɔːt /

noun

  1. (esp in Queensland) a suitcase or school case

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
port 6 British  
/ pɔːt /

noun

  1. a town or place alongside navigable water with facilities for the loading and unloading of ships

  2. See port of entry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
port 7 British  
/ pɔːt /

noun

  1. nautical

    1. an opening in the side of a ship, fitted with a watertight door, for access to the holds

    2. See porthole

  2. a small opening in a wall, armoured vehicle, etc, for firing through

  3. an aperture, esp one controlled by a valve, by which fluid enters or leaves the cylinder head of an engine, compressor, etc

  4. electronics a logic circuit for the input and ouput of data

  5. a gate or portal in a town or fortress

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
port 8 British  
/ pɔːt /

verb

  1. (tr) computing to change (programs) from one system to another

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
port Scientific  
/ pôrt /

  1. An opening, as in a cylinder or valve face, for the passage of steam or fluid.

  2. A place where data can pass into or out of a central processing unit, computer, or peripheral. With central processing units, a port is a fixed set of connections for incoming and outgoing data or instructions. With computers and peripherals, a port is generally a socket into which a connector can be plugged.

port Idioms  

  1. see any port in a storm.

Related Words

See harbor.

Other Word Forms

  • portless adjective

Etymology

Origin of port1

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Latin portus “harbor, haven”; akin to ford

Origin of port2

First recorded in 1570–80; special use of port 4

Origin of port3

First recorded in 1695–95; earlier Oporto, from Portuguese O Porto, Oporto “the port” (that is, the main port of shipment for the wines of Portugal); Oporto l

Origin of port4

First recorded before 950; Middle English, Old English, from Latin porta “gate”; akin to portus “harbor”; port 1

Origin of port5

First recorded in 1560–70; from French porter, from Latin portāre “to carry”; fare

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The complex also serves as one of the world's biggest oil ports.

From Barron's

Ras Tanura is a key port facility that sits on the eastern coast of the country on the Persian Gulf.

From MarketWatch

Berbera port on the Gulf of Aden has been transformed by the United Arab Emirates firm DP World over the past decade into a state-of-the-art facility on one of the world's busiest trade routes.

From Barron's

“As a result, services calling ports in the Arabian Gulf may experience delays, rerouting, or schedule adjustments,” it said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The city's logistics ecosystem was built around Jebel Ali Port, one of the largest deep-water ports in the world, as well as its international airport.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.