Portuguese

American  

[pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-, pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-] / ˌpɔr tʃəˈgiz, -ˈgis, ˌpoʊr-, ˈpɔr tʃəˌgiz, -ˌgis, ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

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

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noun

plural

Portuguese

1. a native or inhabitant of Portugal.

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

Portuguese British  

/ ˌpɔːtjʊˈɡiːz /

noun

1. 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

2. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Portugal

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adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• anti-Portuguese adjectiveanti-Portuguese
• non-Portuguese adjectivenon-Portuguese
• pro-Portuguese adjectivepro-Portuguese

Etymology

Origin of Portuguese

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

Example Sentences

The Portuguese government announced last September that it was seeking a major international airline to buy most of the 49.9 percent stake that it plans to privatise.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Fulham's Marco Silva may seek pastures new at the end of the season, and another crack at a high-profile club may appeal to the Portuguese.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Lula, 80, who began a European tour last week, was later to meet with Portuguese counterpart Jose Seguro for their first face-to-face talks since Seguro took office in March.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

The former Portuguese colony is still struggling with the legacy of the civil war that followed independence in 1975.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

JoJo spoke to her in Portuguese, and I kept hearing the word amor.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin