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
Inside, the shelves are packed with thousands of items: from an upturned bathtub and dented porthole, to intricately etched glassware and tiny buttons.
From BBC • Aug. 13, 2024
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
The Titan, a 22-foot-long tube-shaped vessel with a single porthole, was owned by OceanGate.
From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2023
He’d built the frame from long beams, the roof and walls from decking, the chimney from a vent pipe off a lost steamer, one window from a porthole.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
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.
