portable
Americanadjective
-
capable of being transported or conveyed.
a portable stage.
-
easily carried or conveyed by hand.
I found a lightweight, portable propane stove for our trekking holiday.
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Computers. (of data sets, software, etc.) capable of being used on different computer systems.
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Obsolete. endurable.
noun
adjective
-
able to be carried or moved easily, esp by hand
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(of software, files, etc) able to be transferred from one type of computer system to another
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archaic able to be endured; bearable
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing portable
Vocabulary from history writings about the Triangle Factory Fire
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Latin Love, Vol I: portare
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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.
Frustrated by traditional candle formats, he launched a line of portable candles packaged in small, tuna-like tins designed to make “home follow you wherever you go.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
The rebuilding of the destroyed Palisades Branch Library remains a long way off, though a temporary library opened in two portable buildings in February.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
The company makes ultra-low-power semiconductors for devices like smart watches, industrial sensors, smart-home products, and portable game consoles.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
It recently announced its first product, a portable water-filtration device designed for use by everyone from emergency-response organizers to people looking to get off the grid, with deliveries scheduled for late this year.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
Then he spotted the portable radio my father had brought me the night before.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
