portrayed; portraying; portrays
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
Players will investigate real manuscripts and historic accounts that complicate established theories; probe characters portrayed by actors and explore restricted areas in landmark monuments, some of which have never been accessed by non-custodians.
—
Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The panel presented an animation that portrayed the progression of both aircraft before the collision.
—Ben Mause, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2025
The actors are tribal members portraying their ancestors.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
The Murder Mystery 2 star’s father, Stanley, was the inspiration for the character of Stanley Sugerman, a basketball recruiter Adam portrayed in 2022’s Hustle.
—Emily Krauser, People.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
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.
Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The panel presented an animation that portrayed the progression of both aircraft before the collision.
—Ben Mause, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2025
The actors are tribal members portraying their ancestors.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
The Murder Mystery 2 star’s father, Stanley, was the inspiration for the character of Stanley Sugerman, a basketball recruiter Adam portrayed in 2022’s Hustle.
—Emily Krauser, People.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portray. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
portray
verb
por·tray
pōr-ˈtrā 
pȯr-
1
: to make a portrait of
2
a
: to describe in words
b
: to play the role of
portrayer
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share