portfolio

American  

[pawrt-foh-lee-oh, pohrt-] / pɔrtˈfoʊ liˌoʊ, poʊrt- /

noun

• portfolios
  plural

1. 

   a flat, portable case for carrying loose papers, drawings, etc.

2. such a case for carrying documents of a government department.

3. the total holdings of the securities, commercial paper, etc., of a financial institution or private investor.

4. the office or post of a minister of state or member of a cabinet.

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portfolio British  

/ pɔːtˈfəʊlɪəʊ /

noun

1. a flat case, esp of leather, used for carrying maps, drawings, etc

2. the contents of such a case, such as drawings, paintings, or photographs, that demonstrate recent work

   an art student's portfolio

3. such a case used for carrying ministerial or state papers

4. the responsibilities or role of the head of a government department

   the portfolio for foreign affairs

5. a cabinet minister who is not responsible for any government department

6. the complete investments held by an individual investor or by a financial organization

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• portfolios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of portfolio

1715–25; < Italian portafoglio, equivalent to porta-, stem of portare to carry (< Latin portāre ) + foglio leaf, sheet (< Latin folium; see foil ²)

Explanation

A portfolio is a large, flat briefcase used to hold papers and other loose materials, like maps or artwork. A portfolio is usually used to transport important documents, like examples of your graphic design work if you’re an artist. The noun portfolio has its roots in the similarly-sounding Latin portafoglio “a case for carrying loose papers.” Notice, within that word, two other words — there’s porta, meaning “carry,” and foglio, meaning “sheet, leaf.” In English, think portable folio, or papers that can be carried. Also, portfolio can refer to the duties of a government official or the collection of investments held by a financial company.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

portfolio portfolios

Italy doesn’t yet meet the rating criteria for a bulk of their portfolio, and countries like the Netherlands or Finland don’t have large enough issuance sizes, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

The property remained part of Spielberg and Capshaw’s extensive real estate portfolio for nearly three decades.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

They were told they had to buy their portfolio photographs from the studio in order to join an agency and become an agency model.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Volkswagen’s supervisory board this month approved a plan to cut 100,000 jobs and halve its model portfolio, in part due to the strain of increasing competition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Under my arm is my CSA portfolio of broken blobs and bowls.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

The Treasury secretary, for example, is always going to have more juice than the secretary of agriculture, just by virtue of their respective portfolios.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

“The immediate lever is pushing banks harder on deposit rates,” said Hardik Sheth, a partner and director at Boston Consulting Group, describing a priority for treasurers in regard to their cash portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

It is about building a business that consistently produces great portfolios.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Ask anyone who ran a campaign in 2008, or in 2022, when giving dropped in real terms right alongside portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

“Of course I’m sure. Your flyer stood out from the class. And of all the portfolios I asked students to submit on the first day of class, yours was the most impressive!”

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan