portage

¹ American  

[pawr-tij, pohr-, pawr-tahzh] / ˈpɔr tɪdʒ, ˈpoʊr-, pɔrˈtɑʒ /

noun

1. the act of carrying; carriage.

2. the carrying of boats, goods, etc., overland from one navigable water to another.

3. the route over which this is done.

4. the cost of carriage.

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verb (used without object)

portaged, portaging

1. to make a portage.

   On this stretch of the river, we have to portage for a mile.

verb (used with object)

portaged, portaging

1. to carry (something) over a portage; make a portage with.

   We portaged our canoe around the rapids.

Portage ² American  

[pawr-tij, pohr-] / ˈpɔr tɪdʒ, ˈpoʊr- /

noun

1. a city in SW Michigan.

2. a town in NW Indiana.

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portage British  

/ pɔrtaʒ, ˈpɔːtɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act of carrying; transport

2. the cost of carrying or transporting

3. the act or process of transporting boats, supplies, etc, overland between navigable waterways

4. the route overland used for such transport

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verb

1. to transport (boats, supplies, etc) overland between navigable waterways

Etymology

Origin of portage

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French; see port ⁵, -age

Explanation

Portage is a payment, usually to the captain or owner of a boat, for carrying cargo. A portage is also a bridge between two waterways. A business that sells goods to many parts of the world will probably pay portage at some point: a fee to a boat for carrying cargo. This is a bit of an old-fashioned word, and it mainly applies to boats (which you can remember from the word port: a place where boats dock). Also, a portage is a bridge-like track built on land that links waterways such as rivers. The purpose of that portage is also to transport goods.

Example Sentences

Yates said he came up with the idea of a marathon portage to raise awareness about the lack of water in this part of the river, and invited several friends and acquaintances to join him.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2025

This was an important historical spot for the Coast Salish peoples as a canoe portage between Lake Washington and Lake Union, before the Montlake Cut was dug to unite the two water bodies.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023

If you don’t need quite as much power and portage, Satechi sells a 66W three USB-C port charger for $55.

From The Verge • Jan. 7, 2022

The Indian Agency House was built along the portage route between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers in 1832 to house agent John H. Kinzie and his wife, Juliette.

From Washington Times • Aug. 1, 2020

It was a good three miles away, and would require a portage over the highway, but Zeitoun was happy to have a clear-cut task.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• bear
• bring
• ferry
• give
• haul
• hoist
• import
• lift
• lug
• move
• pack
• remove
• take
• tote
• transfer
• transmit