portray

verb

por·​tray pȯr-ˈtrā How to pronounce portray (audio)
pər-
portrayed; portraying; portrays

transitive verb

1
: to make a picture of : depict
2
a
: to describe in words
b
: to play the role of : enact
portrayer noun

Examples of portray in a Sentence

The White House has portrayed the President as deeply conflicted over the matter. The lawyer portrayed his client as a victim of child abuse. He portrayed himself as a victim. The painting portrays the queen in a purple robe. Laurence Olivier portrayed Hamlet beautifully.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Chalamet recently portrayed Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, the biopic directed by James Mangold, and performed all of his own vocals in the film. Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 19 Jan. 2025 The pair eventually worked together on 2018’s Black Panther, in which Boseman played the titular MCU hero and Jordan portrayed villainous Erik Killmonger. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2025 Both films are about the preposterous beauty standards foisted upon women in our modern culture, yet both films seem determined to make these same women suffer, while portraying men as mostly bumbling buffoons whose chief infractions are wandering eyes. Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025 But in the film, Amazonian jungles are portrayed like a playground, and Hope comes dangerously close to seeming like a pet. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for portray 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English portraien, purtrayen, purtreyen "to draw, paint, depict, decorate, form a mental image of," borrowed from Anglo-French purtraire "to represent (in drawing, painting, etc.), depict, decorate, plan (also continental Old French pourtraire), from pur-, pour-, por-, prefix marking completion of an action (going back to Latin prō-, prefix denoting forward movement) + traire "to drag, pull, draw out, launch, shoot, trace, represent," going back to Latin trahere "to drag, draw, take along" — more at pro- entry 2, abstract entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of portray was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near portray

Cite this Entry

“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portray. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

portray

verb
por·​tray pōr-ˈtrā How to pronounce portray (audio)
pȯr-
1
: to make a portrait of
2
a
: to describe in words
b
: to play the role of
portrayer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on portray

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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