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Portugal

American  
[pawr-chuh-guhl, pohr-, pawr-too-gahl] / ˈpɔr tʃə gəl, ˈpoʊr-, ˌpɔr tʊˈgɑl /

noun

  1. a republic in SW Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, W of Spain. (Including the Azores and the Madeira Islands) 35,414 sq. mi. (91,720 sq. km). Lisbon.


Portugal British  
/ ˈpɔːtjʊɡəl /

noun

  1. a republic in SW Europe, on the Atlantic: became an independent monarchy in 1139 and expelled the Moors in 1249 after more than four centuries of Muslim rule; became a republic in 1910; under the dictatorship of Salazar from 1932 until 1968, when he was succeeded by Dr Caetano, who was overthrown by a junta in 1974; constitutional government restored in 1976. Portugal is a member of the European Union. Official language: Portuguese. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Lisbon. Pop: 10 799 270 (2013 est). Area: 91 831 sq km (35 456 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Portugal Cultural  
  1. Republic in southwestern Europe, bordered by Spain to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Lisbon.


Discover More

Portugal has been independent since the twelfth century, except for sixty years of Spanish rule in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

Portugal has been a member of NATO since 1949.

Famous for its explorers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Portugal followed such exploration closely with colonization. By the middle of the sixteenth century, Portugal controlled a vast overseas empire, including Brazil.

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.

Outside of Indio, the chain has flown for several years at Corona Capital in Mexico City, and exhibited in countries including Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Portugal.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Spain and Portugal need more electricity interconnections with the rest of Europe through France in order to boost their renewable-energy exports to the continent, she tells the European Pulse Forum in Barcelona.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

But Guardiola suggested hope of Silva staying at the club was not lost as the Portugal international has yet to communicate a decision over his future.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Created in response to the failure of a 1998 referendum to legalize abortion in her native Portugal, Rego’s suite offers harrowing views of women who have undergone the procedure illegally.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Ended up dancing the night away with a kid from Portugal.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson