portable

American  

[pawr-tuh-buhl, pohr-] / ˈpɔr tə bəl, ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. capable of being transported or conveyed.

   a portable stage.

2. easily carried or conveyed by hand.

   I found a lightweight, portable propane stove for our trekking holiday.

3. Computers. (of data sets, software, etc.) capable of being used on different computer systems.

4. Obsolete. endurable.

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noun

• portables
  plural

1. something that is easily carried by hand, especially as distinguished from a counterpart that is harder or less convenient to move.

   Of their three television sets, one is a portable.

portable British  

/ ˈpɔːtəbəl /

adjective

1. able to be carried or moved easily, esp by hand

2. (of software, files, etc) able to be transferred from one type of computer system to another

3. archaic able to be endured; bearable

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noun

1. an article designed to be readily carried by hand, such as a television, typewriter, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• portability
  noun
• nonportable
  adjective
• unportable
  adjective
• portably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• portables
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of portable

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin portābilis; see port ⁵, -able

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Explanation

If something's portable, you can easily take it with you . You may carry your portable computer with you from class to class because it's small, light, and fits easily in your backpack. First appearing around 1400, portable stems from the Latin word portare, meaning "to carry." Used as an adjective, portable describes something you can carry around easily. Used as a noun, it means a smaller, easy-to-carry version of something, like a computer or television. On a trip, you might take your portable so you can watch movies in the car. Before computers became popular, you might have carried around a lightweight typewriter called a portable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

portable portables

McFarlane has been reluctant to buy a portable A/C unit because it would take up precious space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

The report revealed the spy agency now estimates there are "thousands" of memory cards, hard drives and other portable media items it can neither find nor account for.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Measuring just centimeters across, the device could be incorporated into portable electronics and wearable health technology.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

A Middle Eastern country also contracted Thales to supply vehicular and portable military radios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

The driver and two EMTs, one of whom grabs a kit and another who is carrying a portable nebulizer.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Built into a refurbished shipping container, it’s filled with everything from tiny Walkman-style portables to colorful, number-flip clock radios and, naturally, boomboxes of all sizes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

Aya Neo is a relatively young company that formed in 2020, but it’s already put out a few well-regarded portables, and the Next is its first big redesign.

From The Verge ● Mar. 18, 2022

Consider Northshore, which has a capital bond measure on the ballot that would raise $425 million, to be used for adding classroom space and alleviating overcrowding that has the district relying on 172 portables.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2022

“School! Cahokia funded some portables in the old schoolyard. It’s only two days a week so far, the rest is online.”

From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2020

The field of portables, of course, has been certified as a disaster area.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

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Related Words

• compact
• convenient
• handy
• lightweight

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