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

---

noun

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

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

In the end, it really was plug-and-play simple: I unfolded a portable panel made by a company called EcoFlow, connected it to the provided inverter and plugged that into a standard outdoor outlet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

The team envisions a future in which portable systems could be deployed directly over burning oil spills to intentionally generate fire whirls on demand.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

Potential applications range from portable medical diagnostics and wearable health monitors to environmental remote sensing and food quality analysis.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

The airline said the captain decided to divert "in line with safety regulations" after a passenger informed crew during the flight that the portable charger was in the hold of the aircraft.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

She uses the last of the oats to make oatmeal on the hot plate, which, she explains, is kind of like a portable stove.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• compact
• convenient
• handy
• lightweight