porthole
a round, windowlike opening with a hinged, watertight glass cover in the side of a vessel for admitting air and light.: Compare port4 (def. 1).
an opening in a wall, door, etc., as one through which to shoot.
Origin of porthole
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use porthole in a sentence
The deck itself was like a lake, and the portholes had to be opened in order to get rid of the water more quickly.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferThe Invalides lie flat, firing comparatively at their ease from behind stone; hardly through portholes show the tip of a nose.
A Wanderer in Paris | E. V. LucasHe waved his hand toward the men at the portholes and about the railing—unconsciously leaving his hand directly pointed at Hale.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | John Fox, Jr.From the portholes of it that they made after his entrance, his men did their final fighting.
The Raid of John Brown at Harper's Ferry as I Saw It | Rev. Samuel Vanderlip LeechOne man can hold that place, if the doors and the portholes are properly secured.
An Undivided Union | Oliver Optic
British Dictionary definitions for porthole
/ (ˈpɔːtˌhəʊl) /
a small aperture in the side of a vessel to admit light and air, usually fitted with a watertight glass or metal cover, or both: Sometimes shortened to: port
an opening in a wall or parapet through which a gun can be fired; embrasure
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
Browse