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

“Tankers are getting hit in Hormuz and crude is up double digits over the past month,” Vincent Ahn, portfolio manager at SLW Investments, told MarketWatch Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Robert De Niro has spent more than five decades building one of Hollywood’s most celebrated careers—and an incredibly unique mulitmillion-dollar property portfolio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Drolet, who is interning for the CFO’s office of a nonprofit in Dublin, Ireland, is currently more interested in growing his investment portfolio than becoming a homeowner.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

“Our expanded position reflects our confidence in the country’s deep resource potential and its ability to compete for investment within our portfolio for decades,” Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said in a statement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Daoud's portfolio was leaning against the desk, still dusty from the battle of Venus Street.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

They are also maxing out contributions to their retirement accounts and investing money in their brokerage portfolios.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

At a time when foreign lenders have been exiting their Indian bank portfolios, Japanese banks are aggressively bidding for Indian financial assets.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

The provision for loans deemed impaired was C$865 million, a drop of about 4% year-over-year, thanks to lower provisions across the business and government lending portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Flagging a few more reasons investors should be pulling some value names into their portfolios, she said BofA’s regime indicator shows the business cycle remains in the expansionary midcycle for a fourth straight month.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Most bought this insurance on subprime mortgages not as an outright bet against them but as a hedge against their implicit bet on them—their portfolios of U.S. real estate– related stocks or bonds.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis