Portugal

American  

[pawr-chuh-guhl, pohr-, pawr-too-gahl] / ˈpɔr tʃə gəl, ˈpoʊr-, ˌpɔr tʊˈgɑl /

noun

1. a republic in SW Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, W of Spain. (Including the Azores and the Madeira Islands) 35,414 sq. mi. (91,720 sq. km). Lisbon.

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Portugal British  

/ ˈpɔːtjʊɡəl /

noun

1. a republic in SW Europe, on the Atlantic: became an independent monarchy in 1139 and expelled the Moors in 1249 after more than four centuries of Muslim rule; became a republic in 1910; under the dictatorship of Salazar from 1932 until 1968, when he was succeeded by Dr Caetano, who was overthrown by a junta in 1974; constitutional government restored in 1976. Portugal is a member of the European Union. Official language: Portuguese. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Lisbon. Pop: 10 799 270 (2013 est). Area: 91 831 sq km (35 456 sq miles)

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Portugal Cultural  

1. Republic in southwestern Europe, bordered by Spain to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Lisbon.

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Discover More

Portugal has been independent since the twelfth century, except for sixty years of Spanish rule in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

Portugal has been a member of NATO since 1949.

Famous for its explorers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Portugal followed such exploration closely with colonization. By the middle of the sixteenth century, Portugal controlled a vast overseas empire, including Brazil.

Example Sentences

But away from that Cymru connection, there is another reason for Wales fans to keep an eye on Portugal and perhaps hope they lift the trophy.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

England superfan Shang Jianxing, who bought a Portugal pet carrier for a friend, believes China's football culture is at the start of becoming a way of life.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

Mexico is unbeaten in eight games this year, including wins over World Cup qualifiers Panama, Ghana and Australia and draws with Belgium and Portugal.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Of the four teams, only Portugal will play all three group games in the U.S., traveling just 960 miles in the first round.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

In Portugal, a survey was made of 400 skeletons from the period immediately predating the Agricultural Revolution.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari