portable

American  

[pawr-tuh-buhl, pohr-] / ˈpɔr tə bəl, ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. capable of being transported or conveyed.

   a portable stage.

2. easily carried or conveyed by hand.

   I found a lightweight, portable propane stove for our trekking holiday.

3. Computers. (of data sets, software, etc.) capable of being used on different computer systems.

4. Obsolete. endurable.

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noun

1. something that is easily carried by hand, especially as distinguished from a counterpart that is harder or less convenient to move.

   Of their three television sets, one is a portable.

portable British  

/ ˈpɔːtəbəl /

adjective

1. able to be carried or moved easily, esp by hand

2. (of software, files, etc) able to be transferred from one type of computer system to another

3. archaic able to be endured; bearable

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noun

1. an article designed to be readily carried by hand, such as a television, typewriter, etc

Other Word Forms

• nonportable adjective
• portability noun
• portably adverb
• unportable adjective

Etymology

Origin of portable

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin portābilis; port ⁵, -able

Explanation

If something's portable, you can easily take it with you . You may carry your portable computer with you from class to class because it's small, light, and fits easily in your backpack. First appearing around 1400, portable stems from the Latin word portare, meaning "to carry." Used as an adjective, portable describes something you can carry around easily. Used as a noun, it means a smaller, easy-to-carry version of something, like a computer or television. On a trip, you might take your portable so you can watch movies in the car. Before computers became popular, you might have carried around a lightweight typewriter called a portable.

Example Sentences

Companies could experiment with shorter workweeks while keeping pay constant and support so-called portable benefits that follow individuals rather than being tied to an employer, OpenAI suggested in its report.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Seven-year-old Chloe was among the first in the city to visit the portable dome structure in which a number of films about the universe are projected onto a huge cinema screen.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Like Joseph, who let me borrow his portable air conditioner — and even installed it — when a heat wave hit Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

She was attending an event, along with her father, at a "major munitions factory" that produces new pistols and other "portable light arms", Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

I didn’t even have time to grab my portable oxygen.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• compact
• convenient
• handy
• lightweight