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.
As the Tony winner took her final bow, the Greatest Showman star was there to capture it all — alongside acting legend Carol Burnett, who portrayed Foster's character in the original production of the show. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025 Rabe, 42, will portray mother Helena Alving, and Linklater, 48, will act as Engstrand — a carpenter hired by Helena to construct an orphanage to commemorate her late husband. Luke Chinman, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025 Actor, writer, director Keller Fornes, who portrayed Griffin in Great American Family‘s County Rescue series, has died. Denise Petski, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025 Just days before the vote, the complaint alleged, the employee in the auditor’s office violated ethics laws by sharing confidential information that portrayed the ambulance service negatively. Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 6 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 14 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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