plural portals
2
: the whole architectural composition surrounding and including the doorways and porches of a church
the cathedral's west portal
3
: the approach or entrance to a bridge or tunnel
construction of a new tunnel portal
4
: a communicating part or area of an organism
specifically
: the point at which something (such as a pathogen) enters the body
5
: an online platform (such as a website) that provides access to services or information of a specific kind
a news portal
a payment portal
Patients can also use the portal to message their UVA Health providers, see lab results and medication history and see their upcoming appointments.—
Donna Staton
Donna StatonThe jobs portal is also a tool that will help bring qualified candidates to employers' job openings.—Paul Schott
Paul SchottThe NCAA transfer portal is an online database meant to streamline the first step of an athlete's transfer process.—Victoria Moorwood
Victoria Moorwood1
: of or relating to the transverse fissure on the underside of the liver where most of the vessels enter
2
: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system
portal circulation
Examples of portal in a Sentence
Noun
a Web portal for baseball fans
the main portal to the estate is an elaborate wrought iron gate on the side facing the road
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
As Mark Pope enters his second season leading UK basketball, the stars have come from the transfer portal early in his tenure.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
That quest ties back to a nefarious dark lord (Kiyoshi Kobayashi) who intends to open a portal of demons that will cede the city of Tokyo to his control.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
That troubling temptation to treat your phone like a magic portal to a better life finds an ideal personification in Tallulah (Odessa A’zion).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portal
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Noun
Still, this has always been a very personal conflict between Yennefer and Vilgefortz, which is why Vilgefortz finally stops letting his minions do all the fighting and jumps through the portal himself.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
As Mark Pope enters his second season leading UK basketball, the stars have come from the transfer portal early in his tenure.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
That quest ties back to a nefarious dark lord (Kiyoshi Kobayashi) who intends to open a portal of demons that will cede the city of Tokyo to his control.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
That troubling temptation to treat your phone like a magic portal to a better life finds an ideal personification in Tallulah (Odessa A’zion).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portal
Cite this Entry
“Portal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portal. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
portal
1 of 2 noun
por·tal
ˈpȯrt-ᵊl 
: a communicating part or area of an organism: as
a
b
: the point at which something enters the body
portals of infection
portal
2 of 2 adjective1
: of or relating to the porta hepatis
2
: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system
portal blood
portal circulation
Biographical Definition
Portal
biographical name
Por·tal
ˈpȯr-tᵊl
Charles Frederick Algernon 1893–1971 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford British air marshal
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