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• port
  port

  noun

  a city, town, or other place where ships load or unload.
• Port.
  Port.

  abbreviation

  Portugal.

port

¹ American  

[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

1. a city, town, or other place where ships load or unload.

2. a place along a coast in which ships may take refuge from storms; harbor.

   Synonyms:

   anchorage

3. Also called port of entry.  Law. any place where persons and merchandise are allowed to pass, by water or land, into and out of a country and where customs officers are stationed to inspect or appraise imported goods.

4. a geographical area that forms a harbor.

   the largest port on the eastern seaboard.

5. Informal. an airport.

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port ² American  

[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

1. the left-hand side of a vessel or aircraft, facing forward.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or designating port.

2. located on the left side of a vessel or aircraft.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to turn or shift to the port, or left, side.

port ³ American  

[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

1. any of a class of very sweet wines, mostly dark-red, originally from Portugal.

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port ⁴ American  

[pawrt, pohrt] / pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

1. an opening in the side or other exterior part of a ship for admitting air and light or for taking on cargo.

2. Machinery. an aperture in the surface of a cylinder, for the passage of steam, air, water, etc.

3. a small aperture in an armored vehicle, aircraft, or fortification through which a gun can be fired or a camera directed.

4. Computers.

   1. a physical connection in a computer to which a peripheral device or a transmission line from a remote terminal can be attached.

   2. Also called port number.  a numerical code that identifies an origin or destination within an IP address.

      Routers can be configured to change ports within the local network.

5. the raised center portion on a bit for horses.

6. Chiefly Scot. a gate or portal, as to a town or fortress.

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port ⁵ American  

[pawrt] / pɔrt /

verb (used with object)

1. Military. to carry (a rifle or other weapon) with both hands, in a slanting direction across the front of the body, with the barrel or like part near the left shoulder.

2. Computers. to rewrite the source code of (a program) in a different programming language, or modify it to run on a different hardware platform or operating system (sometimes followed byover ).

   The publisher is porting several classic games to next-generation consoles.

   Our test suite may be useful if you are modifying the compiler, or porting it to a new system.

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noun

1. Military. the position of a rifle or other weapon when ported.

2. Digital Technology, Computers. a version of an existing program, such as a video game, written to run on a different platform or operating system.

3. Archaic. manner of bearing oneself; carriage or deportment.

Port. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. Portugal.

2. Portuguese.

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port ¹ British  

/ pɔːt /

verb

1. (tr) computing to change (programs) from one system to another

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port ² British  

/ pɔːt /

verb

1. (tr) to carry (a rifle, etc) in a position diagonally across the body with the muzzle near the left shoulder

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noun

1. this position

port ³ British  

/ pɔːt /

noun

1. a town or place alongside navigable water with facilities for the loading and unloading of ships

2. See port of entry

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port ⁴ British  

/ pɔːt /

noun

1. Also called (formerly): larboard. 

   1. the left side of an aircraft or vessel when facing the nose or bow

   2. ( as modifier ) Compare starboard

      the port bow

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verb

1. to turn or be turned towards the port

port ⁵ British  

/ pɔːt /

noun

1. (esp in Queensland) a suitcase or school case

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port ⁶ British  

/ pɔːt /

noun

1. a sweet fortified dessert wine

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Port. ⁷ British  

abbreviation

1. Portugal

2. Portuguese

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port ⁸ British  

/ pɔːt /

noun

1. nautical

   1. an opening in the side of a ship, fitted with a watertight door, for access to the holds

   2. See porthole

2. a small opening in a wall, armoured vehicle, etc, for firing through

3. an aperture, esp one controlled by a valve, by which fluid enters or leaves the cylinder head of an engine, compressor, etc

4. electronics a logic circuit for the input and ouput of data

5. a gate or portal in a town or fortress

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port Scientific  

/ pôrt /

1. An opening, as in a cylinder or valve face, for the passage of steam or fluid.

2. A place where data can pass into or out of a central processing unit, computer, or peripheral. With central processing units, a port is a fixed set of connections for incoming and outgoing data or instructions. With computers and peripherals, a port is generally a socket into which a connector can be plugged.

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port Idioms  

1. see any port in a storm.

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Synonym Usage

See harbor.

Other Word Forms

• portless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of port¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Latin portus “harbor, haven”; akin to ford

Origin of port²

First recorded in 1570–80; special use of port ⁴

Origin of port³

First recorded in 1695–95; earlier Oporto, from Portuguese O Porto, Oporto “the port” (that is, the main port of shipment for the wines of Portugal); see also Oporto l

Origin of port⁴

First recorded before 950; Middle English, Old English, from Latin porta “gate”; akin to portus “harbor”; see port ¹

Origin of port⁵

First recorded in 1560–70; from French porter, from Latin portāre “to carry”; see fare

Explanation

A port is a place where boats come and go. If you think that docks and harbors are romantic, I suggest you move to a port city like Baltimore. Just as seaports and airports link countries together by enabling trade and travel, a device that links computers together is also called a port. Port comes from the Latin word portus, meaning "haven" or "harbor." You can hear this sense of a port as a place of safe arrival in the proverb "any port in a storm." On a ship, the port side is the left side. Port is also a verb, meaning "to carry."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

port Port.

That is why addressing nutrient pollution at source is the first point of action in tackling the problem, and why the big contributors – farming and water treatment – are the first port of call.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Hodeida residents reported hearing explosions, including close to the port.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

They said a variety of deterrents, including spikes and vapour-releasing gel pods to discourage roosting, were used as a first port of call.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

A Yemeni security source told AFP a naval base in the port city of Hodeida and a military camp on Kamaran island were among the Saudi targets.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Looking out at the blue waves of the Marmara, we approach the port, and I feel calmer than I have in a long time.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

"We currently have no definitive information that a crime took place here in North Port. With that said, the circumstances are odd," the North Port Police Department said Tuesday.

From Fox News ● Sep. 13, 2021

Palaver, also a travellers' word from the African coast, is Port. palavra, word, speech, Greco-Lat. parabola.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest

It is the Port. feitiço, Lat. factitius, artificial, applied by the Portuguese explorers to the graven images of the heathen.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest

Hist. of Spain and Port. vol. i. p.

From An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine by Newman, John Henry Cardinal

Murray, Lieutenant John. appointed Commander of the Lady Nelson. receives instructions from Governor King. his charts. first sight of Port Phillip. enters the Port. his Log. letter from R.B.

From The Logbooks of the Lady Nelson With the journal of her first commander Lieutenant James Grant by Lee, Ida

Related Words

• harbor
• seaport
• wharf