Portsmouth

American  

[pawrts-muhth, pohrts-] / ˈpɔrts məθ, ˈpoʊrts- /

noun

1. a seaport in S Hampshire, in S England, on the English Channel: chief British naval station.

2. a seaport in SE Virginia: navy yard.

3. a seaport in SE New Hampshire: naval base; Russian-Japanese peace treaty 1905.

4. a city in S Ohio, on the Ohio River.

5. a town in SE Rhode Island.

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Portsmouth British  

/ ˈpɔːtsməθ /

noun

1. Informal name: Pompey.  a port in S England, in Portsmouth unitary authority, Hampshire, on the English Channel: Britain's chief naval base; university (1992). Pop: 187 056 (2001)

2. a unitary authority in S England, in Hampshire. Pop: 188 700 (2003 est). Area: 37 sq km (14 sq miles)

3. a port in SE Virginia, on the Elizabeth River: naval base; shipyards. Pop: 99 617 (2003 est)

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Example Sentences

HMS Prince of Wales is in Portsmouth receiving routine maintenance ahead of a planned deployment to the North Atlantic and Arctic later this year.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

One of the UK's two aircraft carriers has been placed on advanced readiness to sail from Portsmouth, the BBC understands.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

He also noted that Pesarik’s credit-card bills went to a post-office box in Portsmouth, N.H., during much of this period.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Police said the pair - both from Portsmouth - were pronounced dead at the scene.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

Yellow fever terrorized many major cities throughout the 1800s—not only Philadelphia and Manhattan, but Boston, Baltimore, Mobile, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, Savannah, Charleston, and Jacksonville, to name a few.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy