port
gb/pˈɔɹt/ us/pˈɔɹt/
A2
English
~ 2200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
Harbor town or city
A city or town next to the sea or a river where ships stop to load or unload.
Usage pattern:
[something] is a port
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'port' (a harbor town) with 'airport' or 'harbor' itself; 'port' often refers to the whole city, not just the docking area.
Synonyms
harbor (Refers specifically to the sheltered area for ships, not the whole town.)
Antonyms
inland town (A town located away from the coast or navigable rivers.)
Collocations
busy port
|fishing port
|major port
|port city
|sea port
Themes
geography
|transportation
|trade
|travel
Examples
- Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world.
- The ship will dock at the port tomorrow morning.
- Tourists love visiting the old port district.
Learner examples
- The port is full of ships.
- We walked around the port.
- The port is near my house.
Noun
B1
entity
2
Device connection opening
A place on a computer or other device where you can connect something, like a cable or USB stick.
Usage pattern:
[device] has a [type] port
Common mistake:
Some learners confuse 'port' with 'plug'; the 'plug' is the part on the cable, the 'port' is on the device.
Synonyms
socket (General term for any hole or fitting where something connects.)
Antonyms
wireless connection (A method of connecting devices without physical ports or cables.)
Collocations
USB port
|charging port
|HDMI port
|Ethernet port
Themes
technology
|electronics
Examples
- My laptop has three USB ports.
- The phone's charging port is damaged.
- Plug the cable into the HDMI port.
Learner examples
- This computer has two USB ports.
- I use the charging port every day.
- The HDMI port is on the back.
Noun
B2
entity
3
Sweet fortified wine
A sweet, strong wine from Portugal that people often drink after dinner.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'port' (wine) with 'port' (harbor); context usually clarifies the meaning.
Synonyms
fortified wine (General term for wine with added alcohol; not all are from Portugal.)
Collocations
glass of port
|drink port
|vintage port
Themes
food_and_drink
|food_drink
Examples
- She poured herself a glass of vintage port.
- Port is often enjoyed with cheese.
- They produce excellent port in the Douro Valley.
Learner examples
- I like to drink port after dinner.
- He bought a bottle of port.
- Port is from Portugal.
Verb
technical
B2
action
4
Adapt software for new system
To change computer software so it works on another type of computer or system.
Usage pattern:
to port [software] to [system]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'port' in computing with 'upload' or 'download'; 'port' means changing it to work elsewhere.
Synonyms
adapt (More general; can apply outside computing.)
Collocations
port an application
|port a game
|port code
Themes
technology
|computing
Examples
- The developer plans to port the game to Android.
- They successfully ported the application from Windows to Mac.
- Porting this software will take several weeks.
Learner examples
- They will port the game to my phone.
- He can port this app to your computer.
- We need to port it to another system.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
5
Network communication endpoint number
A number that shows which program or service on a computer should get network messages.
Synonyms
endpoint identifier (Technical term in networking; less common in casual speech.)
Collocations
open port
|port number
|close a port
Themes
technology
|computing
Examples
- Port 80 is used for HTTP traffic.
- The firewall blocks certain ports for security.
- Check which ports are open on your server.
Learner examples
- Port 80 is for websites.
- The firewall closed the port.
- We check the open ports.
Grammar
Dictionary form
port
IPA
GB/pˈɔɹt/
US/pˈɔɹt/
Syllables & stress
port (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (port)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: port
- Plural: port, ports
Verb
- Base: port
- 3rd Person Singular: ports
- Present Participle: porting
- Past: ported
Word family
Forms
ports
noun
porting
verb
ported
verb
Core family
airport
noun A1
seaport
noun
Related words
porthole
noun
Advanced or less common
freeport
noun
spaceport
noun
Expressions
left port
1/lˈɛft pˈɔɹt/
fixed phrase
Departed from harbor by ship/boat
When a ship goes away from its harbor to start a journey.
Examples
- The vessel left port at dawn.
- They left port despite the bad weather.
port of call
1/pˈɔɹt əv kˈɔl/
fixed phrase
Ship stop location on route
A place where a ship stops during its trip to load, unload, or let passengers off/on.
Examples
- Our first port of call will be Lisbon.
- The cruise has five ports of call along the Mediterranean.