# portray

Pronunciation: US say "por-TRAY" /pɔɹˈtɹeɪ/; say "paw-TRAY" UK /pɔːˈtɹeɪ/, AUS /poːˈtɹæɪ/

## Verb

1. To act out a role, or to depict a character, person, situation, or event in a performance or work.
   - Simple: To act as a character, or to show a person or event in a film, play, or story.
   - _The film portrays the final days of a fallen empire._
   - _Directors asked him to portray the villain with a hint of sympathy._
2. To describe something in words, conveying a particular impression of it.
   - Simple: To describe something in words so others can picture or understand it.
   - _Such accounts portray the era as one of endless conflict._
   - _The biography portrays him as a reluctant leader._
3. To represent something by means of an image or visual likeness.
   - Simple: To show or stand for something through a picture or image.
   - _Stained-glass windows portray scenes from ancient stories._
   - _The sculpture portrays grief through a single bowed figure._
4. To paint or draw the likeness of a person or thing.
   - Simple: To paint or draw a picture that looks like a real person or thing.
   - _Court painters were hired to portray the king in full regalia._
   - _The portrait portrays the merchant holding a pair of scales._

## Verb

5. To adorn or decorate something with ornament. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To decorate something, making it more beautiful.

## Origin

The word comes from Middle English "portray," which came from the Middle French word "portraire."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/portray (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).