porthole
Americannoun
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a round, windowlike opening with a hinged, watertight glass cover in the side of a vessel for admitting air and light.
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an opening in a wall, door, etc., as one through which to shoot.
noun
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Sometimes shortened to: port. a small aperture in the side of a vessel to admit light and air, usually fitted with a watertight glass or metal cover, or both
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an opening in a wall or parapet through which a gun can be fired; embrasure
Etymology
Origin of porthole
Explanation
When you get the window seat on an airplane, you'll be sitting beside a porthole, which is the name for a window on an aircraft or ship. It might sound fun to go on an ocean cruise — but it'll cost extra to stay in a cabin with a porthole. Originally, porthole applied only to the round windows on ships, initially used for firing weapons, and later simply a way to let in light and air. Though port is a common nautical term, porthole has a different source: the French porte, or "door," which first referred to the windows' watertight covers.
Vocabulary lists containing porthole
"Rogue Wave," Vocabulary from the short story
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Lesson 1
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"Rogue Wave" by Theodore Taylor
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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.
He was a 25-year-old tinkering with self-tanners, but all the intrigue and action seemed to be around the lab next door, with its strange music, flashing lights and tinfoil covering the porthole.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
The scan shows new close-up details, including a porthole that was most likely smashed by the iceberg.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2025
Here’s the pitch: We zoom in on an AI-generated deepfake of Iron Eyes Cody inside the International Space Station, staring through a porthole window at the Earth and its swirling trash-belt.
From Salon • Oct. 24, 2023
Rush, the pilot, usually sat at the back, away from the porthole.
From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2023
She wandered away from the stage, gave Jones some additional directions about cleaning under the stools, and went to look out of the porthole of glass in the padded door.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
