port of entry

American  

noun

1. port.

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port of entry British  

noun

1. law an airport, harbour, etc, where customs officials are stationed to supervise the entry into and exit from a country of persons and merchandise

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Etymology

Origin of port of entry

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

port of entry

Before Mullin, one plausible reading of the Immigration and Nationality Act required immigration officials to inspect asylum-seekers once they presented themselves at a designated port of entry seeking admission.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026

Kerry Doyle, a deputy general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security in the Biden administration, said she’d never heard of someone being detained at a port of entry on suspicion of voting illegally.

From Salon ● May 14, 2026

Saleh and three other British nationals appeared in court on Tuesday, where they pleaded not guilty to unlawfully entering the US at a location not designated as a lawful port of entry.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

The family’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, said Liam and his father entered the U.S. at a port of entry in Brownsville, Texas, in 2024 to seek asylum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

Starting in 1846, the Chicago harbor was designated by an act of the United States Congress as an official port of entry.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield