portal
1 Americannoun
-
a door, gate, or entrance, especially one of imposing appearance, as to a palace.
- Synonyms:
- threshold, entry, doorway, entranceway
-
an iron or steel bent for bracing a framed structure, having curved braces between the vertical members and a horizontal member at the top.
-
an entrance to a tunnel or mine.
-
Computers. a website that functions as an entry point to the internet, as by providing useful content and linking to various sites and features on the World Wide Web.
adjective
noun
noun
-
an entrance, gateway, or doorway, esp one that is large and impressive
-
any entrance or access to a place
-
computing an internet site providing links to other sites
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of portal1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English portale, from Medieval Latin, noun use of neuter of portālis “of a gate.” See portal 2
Origin of portal2
First recorded in 1605–15, portal is from the Medieval Latin word portālis of a gate. See port 4, -al 1
Explanation
A portal is a large and imposing gate or doorway. You’re likely to find a portal in a castle, in a cathedral, or even on an internet site. Portal can be used to describe other types of doorways, both literal and metaphorical. For example, portal can refer to a web page that provides access to other sites on the web. If you enjoy reading science fiction or fantasy, you may be familiar with the use of the word portal to mean “a doorway to another world.” The wardrobe in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe functions as a portal to the land of Narnia.
Vocabulary lists containing portal
Words from "The Avengers"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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The Phantom Tollbooth
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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.
North Carolina officials said Friday's mailings would proceed normally and that the state has no plans to use the federal portal at the center of the dispute.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
At Thursday’s hearing, Talwani appeared frustrated when a Justice Department attorney was unable to tell her the status of the portal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
“That’s a huge lift for some of these small, dispersed jurisdictions to figure out how to use USPS’s portal and submit names.”
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
Eventually John meets his fate by falling through a portal into an abandoned mall, then following signs directing him to a manager’s office hidden in its bowels.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
He was a key and a glass portal away from being closer to seeing Pili again.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
