Meaning & use
portfolio
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A collection of an artist's or designer's best work, shown to clients or employers.
Grammar: Usually takes my, your or a: build a portfolio.
Patterns
- a portfolio of something
- build a portfolio
She brought a portfolio of her photographs to the interview.
The students must submit a portfolio at the end of the course.
He keeps an online portfolio of his illustrations.
nouncountablefinance
The set of investments owned by a person or company.
Grammar: Often modified: a stock portfolio, a diversified portfolio.
Patterns
- a portfolio of something
- an investment portfolio
Her portfolio includes shares, bonds and a small amount of property.
The fund manager rebalanced the portfolio after the market fell.
A diversified portfolio spreads risk across many assets.
nouncountablebusiness
The range of products, services or projects a company or organization offers or manages.
Grammar: Used in business: a product portfolio.
Patterns
- a portfolio of something
The company expanded its portfolio with two new brands.
Our project portfolio includes bridges and tunnels.
The publisher's portfolio covers science and travel.
nouncountableformal
The responsibilities and duties of a government minister.
Grammar: Often used with hold or take on: hold the health portfolio.
Patterns
- hold the portfolio
- a portfolio for something
She holds the education portfolio in the cabinet.
He was given the defence portfolio after the election.
The minister without portfolio attended the meeting.
Word forms
| plural | portfolios |
|---|
Common combinations
- build a portfolio
- Young designers should build a portfolio before applying for jobs.
- investment portfolio
- He checks his investment portfolio every month.
- diversify a portfolio
- Advisers recommend you diversify your portfolio.
- product portfolio
- The firm trimmed its product portfolio to save costs.
- ministerial portfolio
- She was promoted to a major ministerial portfolio.
- online portfolio
- An online portfolio lets clients see your work instantly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- collection
- Collection is general, while portfolio suggests a chosen set meant to show skill or value.
- holdings
- Holdings refers to what you own, often property or shares, and lacks the sense of showing work.
- range
- Range lists what a company offers, and it is less formal than product portfolio.
- remit
- Remit is a British word for the scope of someone's responsibility, close to the government sense of portfolio.
Word family
- portfolio manager noun
- a person who manages investments
- portfolio career noun
- working several jobs at once
- portfolio company noun
- a company owned by an investor
Commonly confused: portfolio or portfolio vs folder?
portfolio vs portfolio vs folder
A folder just holds papers, while a portfolio is a selected group of work or assets presented for a purpose.
Practice
The model carried a ___ of her best photographs to the agency.
Choose one answer.
A portfolio is a case or set of selected work. A portion is a share, a portrait is a picture and a porter carries bags.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “portfolio”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.