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

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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)

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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

Barclays continues to recommend a portfolio with a balanced sector allocation, especially as they no longer view AI stocks as a “one-way trade.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

He said many portfolio managers would prefer to own Nvidia headed into 2027 rather than the athletic apparel company that’s struggling to engineer a turnaround.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Levine remained committed to buying the bonds when he first took office, saying they had been part of the city’s portfolio for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The endowment had at least a midteens percentage of its portfolio in Elon Musk’s rocket-and-satellite company earlier this year, an unusually large bet for an endowment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

I’m a few months short of a high school degree, but I have a portfolio of landscapes now, both virtual and painted, and I’m going to make a business out of painting wealthy people’s houses.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

Fund managers worldwide keep a close eye on what countries are included or excluded in MSCI's indexes as that can trigger adjustments to their portfolios.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

That’s because more conservative portfolios, such as the traditional 60% stock/40% bond portfolio, often perform almost as well as an all-stock portfolio over 30-year holding periods.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

This gives managers more time to build portfolios of private companies before ever having to honor a withdrawal request.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

With 10-year Treasury yields hitting multidecade highs, some investors are looking to add more fixed income to their portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Paulson raised several billion dollars from investors who regarded his fund as an insurance policy on their portfolios of real estate–related stocks and bonds.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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