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.

---

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

---

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

I’m adding to an AI data-center stock in my personal portfolio next week.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

How does it fit with the rest of my portfolio?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

They were told they had to buy their portfolio photographs from the studio in order to join an agency and become an agency model.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“We have investments,” Sims told me, declining to further elaborate on the portfolio.

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026

I grab my black music portfolio even though I won’t need it.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

“The immediate lever is pushing banks harder on deposit rates,” said Hardik Sheth, a partner and director at Boston Consulting Group, describing a priority for treasurers in regard to their cash portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Fund managers also hold relatively low levels of cash and Treasury bills in their portfolios, although those levels have come off the lows seen a month ago.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Matejka advised using any market weakness caused by surging oil prices to add to portfolios ahead of likely better trading when companies report their third-quarter earnings results in October and November.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Ask anyone who ran a campaign in 2008, or in 2022, when giving dropped in real terms right alongside portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

I watch them lug suitcases and portfolios and boxes out of car trunks, hug parents who are peering at each other with eyes that say, Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson