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portable

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Able to be carried or easily moved.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pawrtuhbuhl

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɔɹtəbəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Able to be carried or easily moved.

  2. Able to be transferred from one organization to another.

  3. computing

    Of a program: able to be copied directly from one machine to another without the use of an installer.

  4. computing

    Of software: able to be run on multiple hardware or operating systems.

noun

  1. A trailer or other movable structure used for classes at a school.

  2. A portable building used for temporary purposes, particularly

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Able to be carried or easily moved.

Used this way, portable is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use portable

  • “A portable television set.”adjective

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Program

portable computer

Microcomputer

portable power

Other combinations

portable radioportable equipmentportable documenteasily portableportable phoneportable typewriter

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • porternounPerson or profession

    A person employed to carry luggage and supplies.

  • portalnounDerived noun · specialist

    A grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically).

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • portable sawnounCompound term

    A circular saw that is portable and is operated with a hand grip.

  • portable circular sawnounCompound term

    A circular saw that is portable and is operated with a hand grip.

  • portable computernounCompound term

    A personal computer that can easily be carried by hand.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: able to be carried or easily moved

movable

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.