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Showing results for portable. Search instead for portable's.
Synonyms

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

  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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of portable

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bristol-based start-up NPK Recovery collects urine from portable toilets during festivals and events, transforming it into fertiliser to help grass grow back on the fields afterwards.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

But, in the age of drones and portable antiship missiles, reopening the Strait to international traffic by force would be extremely difficult in the immediate future—even for the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

If you really want to level up your potluck game, take a cue from tailgate culture: a small portable crockpot is a marvel.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

About the size of a football, the fire engine-red sirens look like a clunky, portable speaker.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

Adam has a portable video game console in his lap, his small fingers clicking the buttons impossibly fast.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.