port

/pɔrt/

/pɔt/

IPA guide

Other forms: ports; ported; porting

A port is a place where boats come and go. If you think that docks and harbors are romantic, I suggest you move to a port city like Baltimore.

Just as seaports and airports link countries together by enabling trade and travel, a device that links computers together is also called a port. Port comes from the Latin word portus, meaning "haven" or "harbor." You can hear this sense of a port as a place of safe arrival in the proverb "any port in a storm." On a ship, the port side is the left side. Port is also a verb, meaning "to carry."

Definitions of port

noun
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country

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examples:
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Durazzo
port city in western Albania on the Adriatic

Algerian capital
an ancient port on the Mediterranean; the capital and largest city of Algeria

Annaba
a port city of northeastern Algeria near the Tunisian border

Oran
a port city in northwestern Algeria and the country's 2nd largest city

Angolan capital
port city on Atlantic coast; the capital and largest city of Angola

Lobito
a seaport on the Atlantic coast of Angola

Bahia Blanca
a port city in eastern Argentina to the southwest of Buenos Aires on an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean

capital of Argentina
capital and largest city of Argentina; located in eastern Argentina near Uruguay; Argentina's chief port and industrial and cultural center

Varna
a port city in northeastern Bulgaria on the Black Sea

Mawlamyine
a port city of southern Myanmar on the Gulf of Martaban

Antofagasta
a port city on the Pacific in northern Chile

Valparaiso
the chief port and second largest city of Chile; located on a wide harbor in central Chile

Guangzhou
a city on the Zhu Jiang delta in southern China; the capital of Guangdong province and a major deep-water port

Dairen
a port and shipbuilding center in northeastern China on the Liaodong Peninsula; now a part of Luda

Port Arthur
a major port city in northeastern China on the Liaodong Peninsula; now a part of Luda

Shanghai
the largest city of China; located in the east on the Pacific; one of the largest ports in the world

Hong Kong
formerly a Crown Colony on the coast of southern China in Guangdong province; leased by China to Britain in 1842 and returned in 1997; one of the world's leading commercial centers

Barranquilla
a port city of northern Colombia near the Caribbean on the Magdalena River

Cartagena
a port city in northwestern Colombia on the Caribbean

Aspinwall
a port city at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal

Acapulco de Juarez
a port and fashionable resort city on the Pacific coast of southern Mexico; known for beaches and water sports (including cliff diving)

Mazatlan
a port city in western Mexico on the Pacific Ocean; tourist center

Tampico
a port city in eastern Mexico

Veracruz
a major Mexican port on the Gulf of Mexico in the state of Veracruz

Santiago de Cuba
a port city in southeastern Cuba; industrial center

Montego Bay
port and resort city in northwestern Jamaica

capital of Barbados
capital of Barbados; a port city on the southwestern coast of Barbados

Cotonou
chief port of Benin on the Bight of Benin

Aarhus
port city of Denmark in eastern Jutland

Aalborg
a city and port in northern Jutland

capital of Djibouti
port city on the Gulf of Aden; the capital and largest city of Djibouti

capital of Norway
the capital and largest city of Norway; the country's main port; located at the head of a fjord on Norway's southern coast

Bergen
a port city in southwestern Norway

Stavanger
a port city in southwestern Norway; center for shipbuilding industry

Trondheim
a port in central Norway on Trondheim Fjord

Malmo
a port in southern Sweden

Gothenburg
a port in southwestern Sweden; second largest city in Sweden

Bremerhaven
a port city in northwestern Germany at the mouth of the Weser River on the North Sea; has a deep natural harbor and is an important shipping center

Hamburg
a port city in northern Germany on the Elbe River that was founded by Charlemagne in the 9th century and is today the largest port in Germany; in 1241 it formed an alliance with Lubeck that became the basis for the Hanseatic League

Hannover
a port city in northwestern Germany; formerly a member of the Hanseatic League

Massawa
a port town in Eritrea on an inlet of the Red Sea

capital of Finland
the capital and largest city of Finland; located in southern Finland; a major port and commercial and cultural center

Maarianhamina
a town that is the chief port of the Aland islands

Korinthos
the modern Greek port near the site of the ancient city that was second only to Athens

Patrai
a port city in western Greece in the northwestern Peloponnese on an inlet of the Ionian Sea; was a major trade center from the 5th century BC to the 3rd century BC; commercial importance revived during the Middle Ages

Thessalonica
a port city in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea; second largest city of Greece

Accho
a town and port in northwestern Israel in the eastern Mediterranean

Haifa
a major port in northwestern Israel

Jaffa
a port in western Israel on the Mediterranean; incorporated into Tel Aviv in 1950

Naples
a port and tourist center in southwestern Italy; capital of the Campania region

Messina
a port city in northeastern Sicily on the Strait of Messina

Brindisi
a port city in southeastern Apulia in Italy; a center for the Crusades in the Middle Ages

La Spezia
a port city in Liguria on an arm of the Ligurian Sea; a major seaport and year-round resort

Palermo
the capital of Sicily; located in northwestern Sicily; an important port for 3000 years

Dubrovnik
a port city in southwestern Croatia on the Adriatic; a popular tourist center

Victoria
capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia on Vancouver Island

Vancouver
a port city in southwestern British Columbia on an arm of the Pacific Ocean opposite Vancouver Island; Canada's chief Pacific port and third largest city

Saint John
a port in eastern Canada; the largest city in New Brunswick

Saint John's
a port and provincial capital of Newfoundland

Hamilton
a port city in southeastern Ontario at the western end of Lake Ontario

Thunder Bay
a port city in Ontario on Lake Superior

Hobart
a port and state capital of Tasmania

Chittagong
a port city and industrial center in southeastern Bangladesh on the Bay of Bengal

Antwerpen
a busy port and financial center in northern Belgium on the Scheldt river; it has long been a center for the diamond industry and the first stock exchange was opened there in 1460

Ghent
port city in northwestern Belgium and industrial center; famous for cloth industry

St. Mary of Bethlehem
port city in northern Brazil in the Amazon delta; main port and commercial center for the Amazon River basin

Natal
a port city in northeastern Brazil

Pernambuco
a port city of northeastern Brazil on the Atlantic

Santos
a port city in southwestern Brazil on an offshore island near Sao Paulo

Kingston-upon Hull
a large fishing port in northeastern England

Liverpool
a large city in northwestern England; its port is the country's major outlet for industrial exports

Bristol
an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon

Newcastle-upon-Tyne
a port city in northeastern England on the River Tyne; a center for coal exports (giving rise to the expression `carry coals to Newcastle' meaning to do something unnecessary)

Portsmouth
a port city in southern England on the English Channel; Britain's major naval base

Sunderland
a port and industrial city in northeastern England

capital of Ireland
capital and largest city and major port of the Irish Republic

Cork
a port city in southern Ireland

Galway
a port city in western Ireland on Galway Bay

Limerick
port city in southwestern Ireland

Waterford
a port city in southern Ireland; famous for glass industry

Ayr
a port in southwestern Scotland

Glasgow
largest city in Scotland; a port on the Clyde in west central Scotland; one of the great shipbuilding centers of the world

Newport
a port city in southeastern Wales

Swansea
a port city in southern Wales on an inlet of the Bristol Channel

El Iskandriyah
the chief port of Egypt; located on the western edge of the Nile delta on the Mediterranean Sea; founded by Alexander the Great; the capital of ancient Egypt

Egyptian capital
the capital of Egypt and the largest city in Africa; a major port just to the south of the Nile delta; formerly the home of the Pharaohs

Samarang
a port city is southern Indonesia; located in northern Java

Abadan
a port city in southwestern Iran

Basia
the second largest city in Iraq; an oil port in southern Iraq

Osaka
port city on southern Honshu on Osaka Bay; a commercial and industrial center of Japan

Yokohama
port city on southeastern Honshu in central Japan

Kobe
a port city in Japan on Osaka Bay in southern Honshu; was damaged by an earthquake in 1995

Hiroshima
a port city on the southwestern coast of Honshu in Japan; on August 6, 1945 Hiroshima was almost completely destroyed by the first atomic bomb dropped on a populated area

Nagasaki
a city in southern Japan on Kyushu; a leading port and shipbuilding center; on August 9, 1945 Nagasaki became the second populated area to receive an atomic bomb

Kisumu
a port city in western Kenya on the northeastern shore of Lake Victoria; fishing and trading center

Mombasa
a port city in southern Kenya on a coral island in a bay of the Indian Ocean

Bordeaux
a port city in southwestern France; a major center of the wine trade

Brest
a port city in northwestern France (in Brittany); the chief naval station of France

Calais
a town in northern France on the Strait of Dover that serves as a ferry port to England; in 1347 it was captured by the English king Edward III after a long siege and remained in English hands until it was recaptured by the French king Henry II in 1558

Cannes
a port and resort city on the French Riviera; site of an annual film festival

Cherbourg
a port town in northwestern France on the English Channel; site of a naval base

Dunkerque
a seaport in northern France on the North Sea; scene of the evacuation of British forces in 1940 during World War II

Le Havre
a port city in northern France on the English Channel at the mouth of the Seine

Marseilles
a port city in southeastern France on the Mediterranean

Nantes
a port city in western France on the Loire estuary

Toulon
a port city and naval base in southeastern France on the Mediterranean coast

capital of Gambia
a port city and capital of Gambia

capital of Guinea
a port and the capital of Guinea

Georgetown
port city and the capital and largest city of Guyana

capital of Iceland
the capital and chief port of Iceland on the southwestern coast of Iceland; buildings are heated by natural hot water

Chemulpo
a port city in western South Korea on the Yellow Sea

Pusan
a city in southeastern South Korea on the Korean Strait; the chief port and second largest city

Tarabulus Ash-Sham
a port city and commercial center in northwestern Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea

Tyre
a port in southern Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea; formerly a major Phoenician seaport famous for silks

capital of Liberia
the capital and chief port and largest city of Liberia

Benghazi
port in northern Libya on the Gulf of Sidra; formerly a joint capital of Libya with Tripoli

Port Louis
capital and chief port of Mauritius; located on the northwestern coast of the island

Casablanca
a port on the Atlantic and the largest city of Morocco

Beira
a port city in eastern Mozambique on the Mozambique Channel

Auckland
the largest city and principal port of New Zealand

Lagos
chief port and economic center of Nigeria; located in southwestern Nigeria on the Gulf of Guinea; former capital of Nigeria

capital of Oman
a port on the Gulf of Oman and capital of the sultanate of Oman

capital of Paraguay
the capital and chief port of Paraguay

Danzig
a port city of northern Poland near the mouth of the Vistula River on a gulf of the Baltic Sea; a member of the Hanseatic League in the 14th century

capital of Portugal
capital and largest city and economic and cultural center of Portugal; a major port in western Portugal on Tagus River where it broadens and empties into the Atlantic

Oporto
port city in northwest Portugal; noted for port wine

Setubal
a port city on the Atlantic coast of Portugal to the southeast of Lisbon

capital of Qatar
the capital and chief port of Qatar

Castries
a port on the island of Saint Lucia; capital and largest city of Saint Lucia

Pango Pango
a port in American Samoa

Jed'dah
port city in western Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea; near Mecca

capital of Senegal
the capital and chief port and largest city of Senegal

capital of Seychelles
port city and the capital of Seychelles

capital of Sierra Leone
port city and the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone

capital of Somalia
the capital and largest city of Somalia; a port on the Indian Ocean

Cape Town
port city in southwestern South Africa; the seat of the legislative branch of the government of South Africa

Durban
a port city in eastern South Africa on the Indian Ocean; resort and industrial center

Murmansk
a port city in northwestern Russia on the Kola Peninsula; the largest city to the north of the Arctic Circle; an important supply line to Russia in World War I and World War II

Rostov na Donu
a seaport on the Don River near the Sea of Azov in the European part of Russia

capital of Estonia
a port city on the Gulf of Finland that is the capital and largest city of Estonia

capital of Latvia
a port city on the Gulf of Riga that is the capital and largest city of Latvia; formerly a member of the Hanseatic League

Dneprodzerzhinsk
port city and industrial center in east central Ukraine on the Dnieper River

Odessa
a port city of south central Ukraine on an arm of the Black Sea

capital of Azerbaijan
a port city on the Caspian Sea that is the capital of Azerbaijan and an important center for oil production

Barcelona
a city in northeastern Spain on the Mediterranean; 2nd largest Spanish city and the largest port and commercial center; has been a center for radical political beliefs

Cadiz
an ancient port city in southwestern Spain

Cartagena
a port in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean

Malaga
a port city and resort in Andalusia in southern Spain on the Mediterranean

Sevilla
a city in southwestern Spain; a major port and cultural center; the capital of bullfighting in Spain

Port Sudan
port city in Sudan on the Red Sea

capital of Suriname
the capital and largest city and major port of Surinam

Al Ladhiqiyah
a seaport on the western coast of Syria

capital of Tanzania
the capital and largest port city of Tanzania on the Indian Ocean

Tanga
a port city in northeastern Tanzania on the Indian Ocean

capital of Thailand
the capital and largest city and chief port of Thailand; a leading city in southeastern Asia; noted for Buddhist architecture

capital of Tunisia
the capital and principal port of Tunisia

Sousse
a port city in eastern Tunisia on the Mediterranean

Antalya
a port city in southwestern Turkey on the Gulf of Antalya

Smyrna
a port city in western Turkey

Dubai
port city in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf

Mobile
a port in southwestern Alabama on Mobile Bay

Valdez
a port on Alaska's southern coast from which oil is shipped to markets around the world

Oakland
a city in western California on San Francisco Bay opposite San Francisco; primarily and industrial urban center

Bridgeport
a port in southwestern Connecticut on Long Island Sound

Savannah
a port in eastern Georgia near the mouth of the Savannah river

capital of Hawaii
the capital and largest city of Hawaii; located on a large bay on the island of Oahu

Windy City
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan

Baltimore
the largest city in Maryland; a major seaport and industrial center

Alpena
a town in northern Michigan on an arm of Lake Huron

Motor City
the largest city in Michigan and a major Great Lakes port; center of the United States automobile industry; located in southeastern Michigan on the Detroit river across from Windsor

Duluth
a city in northeast Minnesota on Lake Superior

Gateway to the West
the largest city in Missouri; a busy river port on the Mississippi River near its confluence with the Missouri River; was an important staging area for wagon trains westward in the 19th century

Portsmouth
a port town in southeastern New Hampshire on the Atlantic Ocean

Charleston
a port city in southeastern South Carolina

Houston
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Newport News
a port city in southeastern Virginia at the mouth of the James River off Hampton Roads; large shipyards

Norfolk
port city located in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; headquarters of the Atlantic fleet of the United States Navy

Portsmouth
a port city in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River opposite Norfolk; naval base; shipyards

Ciudad Bolivar
a port in eastern Venezuela on the Orinoco river

Cumana
a port city in northeastern Venezuela on the Caribbean Sea; founded in 1523, it is the oldest European settlement in South America

Maracaibo
a port city in northwestern Venezuela; a major oil center

Haiphong
a port city in northern Vietnam; industrial center

Aden
an important port of Yemen; located on the Gulf of Aden; its strategic location has made it a major trading center of southern Arabia since ancient times

Al-Hudaydah
an important port in Yemen on the Red Sea

Al-Mukalla
a port in southern Yemen on the Gulf of Aden to the east of Aden

types:
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entrepot, transshipment center
a port where merchandise can be imported and then exported without paying import duties

free port
a port open on equal terms to all commercial vessels

home port
the port from which a ship originates of where it is registered

outport
a subsidiary port built in deeper water than the original port (but usually farther from the center of trade)

point of entry, port of entry
a port in the United States where customs officials are stationed to oversee the entry and exit of people and merchandise

harbor, harbour, haven, seaport
a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo

treaty port
a port in China or Korea or Japan that once was open to foreign trade on the basis of a trading treaty

coaling station
a seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal

port of call
any port where a ship stops except its home port

type of:
geographic point, geographical point
a point on the surface of the Earth
verb
bring to port

“the captain ported the ship at night”
verb
land at or reach a port

“The ship finally ported”

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type of:
land, set down
reach or come to rest
noun
an opening (in a wall or ship or armored vehicle) for firing through

synonyms: embrasure, porthole

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type of:
opening
a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made
noun
(computer science) computer circuit consisting of the hardware and associated circuitry that links one device with another (especially a computer and a hard disk drive or other peripherals)

synonyms: interface

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types:
parallel interface, parallel port
an interface between a computer and a printer where the computer sends multiple bits of information to the printer simultaneously

serial port
an interface (commonly used for modems and mice and some printers) that transmits data a bit at a time

SCSI, small computer system interface
interface consisting of a standard port between a computer and its peripherals that is used in some computers

type of:
computer circuit
a circuit that is part of a computer
verb
modify (software) for use on a different machine or platform

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type of:
alter, change, modify
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
noun
the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose

synonyms: larboard

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antonyms:
starboard
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose

type of:
side
an extended outer surface of an object
adjective
located on the left side of a ship or aircraft

synonyms: larboard

left
being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the west when facing north
verb
turn or go to the port or left side, of a ship

“The big ship was slowly porting”

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type of:
turn
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
verb
put or turn on the left side, of a ship

“port the helm”

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type of:
turn
cause to move around or rotate
noun
sweet dark-red dessert wine originally from Portugal

synonyms: port wine

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type of:
fortified wine
wine to which alcohol (usually grape brandy) has been added
verb
drink port

“We were porting all in the club after dinner”

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type of:
booze, drink, fuddle
consume alcohol
verb
carry, bear, convey, or bring

“The small canoe could be ported easily”

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type of:
carry, transport
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
verb
carry or hold with both hands diagonally across the body, especially of weapons

“port a rifle”

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type of:
carry, transport
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

Pronunciation

/pɔrt/

/pɔt/

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/pɔt/

/pɔrt/

/pɔt/

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/pɔt/

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/pɔt/

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