Portuguese

[ pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-; pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr- ]

/ ˌpɔr tʃəˈgiz, -ˈgis, ˌpoʊr-; ˈpɔr tʃəˌgiz, -ˌgis, ˈpoʊr- /

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See synonyms for Portuguese on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language.

noun, plural Por·tu·guese.

a native or inhabitant of Portugal.

a Romance language spoken in Portugal, Brazil, and a few countries of Africa. Abbreviation: Pg, Pg.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Portuguese

1580–90; <Portuguese português,Spanish portugués;see Portugal, -ese

OTHER WORDS FROM Portuguese

an·ti-Por·tu·guese, adjective, noun, plural an·ti-Por·tu·guese.non-Por·tu·guese, adjective, noun, plural non-Por·tu·guese.pro-Por·tu·guese, adjective, noun, plural pro·-Por·tu·guese.

Words nearby Portuguese

Portsmouth, Port St. Lucie, Port Sudan, Port Talbot, Portugal, Portuguese, Portuguese East Africa, Portuguese Guinea, Portuguese Guinean, Portuguese India, Portuguese man-of-war

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Portuguese in a sentence

People from those ports acquired a reputation among the Portuguese as the best hands for mining gold.
How African body markings were used to construct the idea of race in colonial Brazil|Aldair Rodrigues|January 22, 2021|Quartz
It plans to expand into Mexico and to bring on Portuguese instruction.
Henry picks up cash to be a Lambda School for Latin America|Natasha Mascarenhas|December 3, 2020|TechCrunch
The Portuguese post office conducted some kind of investigation on the card.
Not getting any travel postcards? A project in Mali delivers delight — and a lifeline.|Bailey Berg|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
Ronaldo, whom Portuguese soccer officials said had no covid-19 symptoms, called Spadafora’s claim “a lie” in an Instagram Live video posted from his home.
Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Champions League game vs. Barcelona weeks after positive coronavirus test|Matt Bonesteel|October 28, 2020|Washington Post

It didn’t help that Portugal’s foreign affairs minister, Rui Machete, had publicly withdrawn his apology to dos Santos under pressure from the Portuguese public.
Is It Portugal’s Turn to Gain ‘Freedom’ From Angola?|Eromo Egbejule|September 28, 2020|Ozy
In 2008, the Portuguese police did clear the McCanns of any wrongdoing and closed the case.
Does a Perv Know Maddie McCann’s Fate?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In October 2013, the Portuguese police reopened the case in Portugal, paving the way for further investigations by Scotland Yard.
Does a Perv Know Maddie McCann’s Fate?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I still have the beautiful Portuguese wire cage that the love birds came in.
Vogue Photographer Erwin Blumenfeld: Secrets of a Fashion Legend|Tim Teeman|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The city was founded in 1471 as a base for Moroccans to fight off the invading Portuguese, who occupied the coastal areas.
Morocco's Secret All-Blue City|Nina Strochlic|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The goal came off his tummy inside the Portuguese box, an apt way to score for a very gutsy player.
Team USA 2, Portugal 2: Seconds Away From World Cup Glory|Tunku Varadarajan|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Portuguese frigate Cine captured by the Algerines, after a smart action.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Portuguese snuff seemed to be in favor and was delicately perfumed.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The circumstances of Spanish and Portuguese America were very different in every stage.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
The revenge of the Portuguese was horrible, the Cahetes were hunted, slaughtered, and all but exterminated.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
I cannot pretend to speak of the character or measures of these or any other Portuguese or Brazilian ministers.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham

British Dictionary definitions for Portuguese

Portuguese

/ (ˌpɔːtjʊˈɡiːz) /

noun

the official language of Portugal, its overseas territories, and Brazil: the native language of approximately 110 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family and is derived from the Galician dialect of Vulgar Latin

plural -guese a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Portugal

adjective

relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language

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