What does "portage" mean?
An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways.
Portage
/ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways.
- Grammar: portage is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: admission, admission fee, air express, airfreight.
- Useful contrasts: confinement, isolation, offload.
- Usage evidence: We have a few miles of portage.
How to use "portage"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "portage" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "portage" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "portage" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "portage" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "portage" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "admission" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "portage", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways. countable, uncountable
- 2 carrying boats and supplies overland wordnet
- 3 The route used for such carrying. countable, uncountable
- 4 overland track between navigable waterways wordnet
- 5 A charge made for carrying something. countable, uncountable
"gaining thereby the charge of portage; was a great benefit to them"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 the cost of carrying or transporting wordnet
- 7 Carrying capacity; tonnage. countable, uncountable
"Onely the shippe that came thither payde a small thing according to her portage, aud euery yeere in the port of Orisa were laden fiue and twentie or thirtie ships great and smal with ryce and diuers sortes of fine white bumbaste cloth[…]"
- 8 The wages paid to a sailor when in port, or for a voyage. countable, uncountable
- 9 A porthole. countable, uncountable
"Then lend the eye a terrible aspect; Let pry through the portage of the head Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it As fearfully as doth a galled rock O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean."
Verb
- 1 To carry a boat overland. transitive
"Two months have now elapsed since the work was first begun, viz: from the 20th of last December to the 20th instant, fully one month of which has been occupied in exploring, and the remainder in camping, portageing and measuring; […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A community in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- 2 A settlement in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town and former settlement in Alaska, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1964.
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Livingston County, New York.
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; A village in Wood County, Ohio.
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; A home rule borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Box Elder County, Utah, named after Portage County in Ohio.
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin.
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; A number of townships in the United States, listed under Portage Township.
- 12 A small settlement in the Marlborough Sounds, Marlborough, New Zealand.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"We have a few miles of portage."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "portage"?
Common synonyms include: admission, admission fee, air express, airfreight, airlift, anchorage.
How do you use "portage" in a sentence?
We have a few miles of portage.
How do you pronounce "portage"?
Pronounced /ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
From Middle English portage, borrowed from Middle French portage, from Old French portage, from Early Medieval Latin portāticum. By surface analysis, port (“to carry”) + -age.