portmanteau word
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of portmanteau word
C19: from the idea that two meanings are packed into one word
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.
“Smog” is a turn-of-the-century portmanteau word mashing together “smoke” and “fog” to describe the sooty, sulfurous air of the London of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
With titles like “Shape Up, Says Doctor Death” and “Everybody Has a Fatal Disease,” not to mention the darkly comical portmanteau word “cremaindered,” she exhibits gallows humor.
From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2020
Tokarev, whose real first name — Vilen — is a portmanteau word for Vladimir Lenin, told the Associated Press he wrote the song after friends who also know Trump asked him to compose something.
From Time • Jan. 19, 2017
Tokarev, whose real first name — Vilen — is a portmanteau word for Vladimir Lenin, told The Associated Press he wrote the song after friends who also know Trump asked him to compose something.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2017
Yep, her name is a portmanteau word, which means it’s made up of two different words.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
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.
