Portuguese

American  

[pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-, pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-] / ˌpɔr tʃəˈgiz, -ˈgis, ˌpoʊr-, ˈpɔr tʃəˌgiz, -ˌgis, ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

plural

Portuguese

1. a native or inhabitant of Portugal.

2. a Romance language spoken in Portugal, Brazil, and a few countries of Africa. Pg, Pg.

Portuguese British  

/ ˌpɔːtjʊˈɡiːz /

noun

1. the official language of Portugal, its overseas territories, and Brazil: the native language of approximately 110 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family and is derived from the Galician dialect of Vulgar Latin

2. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Portugal

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adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language

Other Word Forms

• anti-Portuguese adjectiveanti-Portuguese
• non-Portuguese adjectivenon-Portuguese
• pro-Portuguese adjectivepro-Portuguese

Etymology

Origin of Portuguese

1580–90; < Portuguese português, Spanish portugués; see Portugal, -ese

Example Sentences

As it stands, the Portuguese is due to leave at the end of the season when his existing deal expires.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

The Portuguese was in charge at the Bernabeu between 2010 and 2013, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Despite this, the Portuguese energy company benefits from stronger distillate cracks—notably diesel and jet fuel—as the war in the Middle East upends energy markets, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The Portuguese government announced last September that it was seeking a major international airline to buy most of the 49.9 percent stake that it plans to privatise.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Imagine those first Portuguese adventurers approaching the shore, spying on the jungle’s edge through their fitted brass lenses.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver