portable

American  

[pawr-tuh-buhl, pohr-] / ˈpɔr tə bəl, ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. capable of being transported or conveyed.

   a portable stage.

2. easily carried or conveyed by hand.

   I found a lightweight, portable propane stove for our trekking holiday.

3. Computers. (of data sets, software, etc.) capable of being used on different computer systems.

4. Obsolete. endurable.

---

noun

portables plural

1. something that is easily carried by hand, especially as distinguished from a counterpart that is harder or less convenient to move.

   Of their three television sets, one is a portable.

portable British  

/ ˈpɔːtəbəl /

adjective

1. able to be carried or moved easily, esp by hand

2. (of software, files, etc) able to be transferred from one type of computer system to another

3. archaic able to be endured; bearable

---

noun

1. an article designed to be readily carried by hand, such as a television, typewriter, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• portability
  noun
• nonportable
  adjective
• unportable
  adjective
• portably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• portables
  plural

Etymology

Origin of portable

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin portābilis; see port ⁵, -able

Explanation

If something's portable, you can easily take it with you . You may carry your portable computer with you from class to class because it's small, light, and fits easily in your backpack. First appearing around 1400, portable stems from the Latin word portare, meaning "to carry." Used as an adjective, portable describes something you can carry around easily. Used as a noun, it means a smaller, easy-to-carry version of something, like a computer or television. On a trip, you might take your portable so you can watch movies in the car. Before computers became popular, you might have carried around a lightweight typewriter called a portable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

portable portables

The Mibrasa Hibachi Table Top Grill is portable, maintains a fire for hours and makes grilling skewers, vegetables and even steaks feel like part of the entertainment.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Smartphones, electric vehicles, and countless portable electronics all depend on batteries.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

On Friday the UK's advertising watchdog warned claims in adverts for some portable air conditioning units, shown on Facebook and YouTube, were "too good to be true".

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

"A typical portable air conditioner adds roughly 25p to 40p an hour to your electricity bill," it says.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

There was, however, a portable typewriter on the desk, in a little powder-blue case that snapped shut like a piece of luggage.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

Built into a refurbished shipping container, it’s filled with everything from tiny Walkman-style portables to colorful, number-flip clock radios and, naturally, boomboxes of all sizes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

Like Northshore, the Lake Washington district — which has grown by 31% since 2008 — also wants to build classrooms and reduce its use of portables.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2022

Valve could build a Half-Life exclusive to portables like this, if not exclusive to the Steam Deck itself.

From The Verge ● Jul. 18, 2021

The only question portables raise for me are logistical.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2020

Adam and the other two kids were too cool to have umbrellas, so they took off and ran through the rain toward their portables.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Related Words

• compact
• convenient
• handy
• lightweight