Portland Meaning
/ˈpɔːtlənd/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe land around a port
nameThe largest city in Oregon, United States and the county seat of Multnomah County; named for the city in Maine.
Sentence Examples
Laurent Weber is the archbishop of Portland.
I will be taking a weekend food jaunt down to Portland.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She visited the International Rose Test Garden in ____ during her trip to Oregon.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ cement used in the construction was mixed with sand and water to form a strong mortar.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Indo-European *pértusder. Proto-Italic *portus Latin portusbor. Old English port Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Germanic *landą Proto-West Germanic *land Old English land Old English Portland English Portland Inherited from Old English Portland. By surface analysis, port + land.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“Here is what I do know – the president has sent agents here to create chaos and riots here in Portland, to induce a reaction. To induce protests. To induce conflicts. His goal is to make Portland look as he was describing it as,” Merkley said. “Our job is to say, ‘We are not going to take the bait.’”"
— 2025 September 27, Kit Maher, quoting Jeff Merkley, “Trump says he’s sending troops to Portland to protect ICE facilities”, in CNN, archived from the original on 16 Oct 2025:
"Visitors to Maine, arriving with visions of lighthouses and lobsters, often bypass Portland on their way northeast to Acadia National Park or the many picturesque fishing villages of the state’s mid-coast."
— 2024 June 24, Brandon Griggs, “This coastal culinary hub offers a ‘big-city feel in a small-city package’”, in CNN, archived from the original on 31 Aug 2024:
"The decommissioned Hearn power plant is the city's top site to build a long-overdue, four-pad arena to anchor a planned sports complex on the eastern portlands, Toronto Mayor David Miller said yesterday."
— 2009 February 27, Mary Ormsby, “New arena could bring hockey up to full power”, in Toronto Star:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She visited the International Rose Test Garden in ____ during her trip to Oregon.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ cement used in the construction was mixed with sand and water to form a strong mortar.