portray
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++por·tray /pɔːˈtreɪ $ pɔːr-/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 portray somebody/something as something DESCRIBEto describe or show someone or something in a particular way, according to your opinion of them 把某人/某物描写成某种样子 SYN depict Romantic artists portrayed nature as wild and powerful. 浪漫主义艺术家描绘的大自然是狂野而强大的。 The president likes to portray himself as a friend of working people. 总统喜欢以工薪阶层的朋友自居。► see thesaurus at describe2 DESCRIBEto describe or represent something or someone 描写，描绘 SYN depict His most famous painting portrayed the death of Nelson. 他最著名的画作描绘的是纳尔逊之死。 Religion was portrayed in a negative way. 对宗教的描写是负面的。3 APTto act the part of a character in a play, film, or television programme 扮演〔角色〕 SYN play She portrays a dancer in the hit film. 她在这部卖座的影片里扮演一位舞者。→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
portray• Their music portrays a lifestyle that no longer exists.• In the movie, Burg portrays a real-life Holocaust survivor.• This is the only example portraying a Roman Emperor which has survived intact from such an early age.• The recommendation was a surprise because census officials previously have portrayed adjustment as a solution to chronic undercounts.• All along, the Owens River had been portrayed as a matter of life or death to the city of Los Angeles.• This again portrays Cassius as a hero, and Caesar as a feeble old man in comparison.• We are all given T-shirts that portray Erap as a crocodile, gobbling money.• Leonard Baskin has been chosen to portray F.D.R.'s first inauguration and, in the final room, his funeral cortège.• Instead, she portrayed herself as a philanthropist, eager to help old friends down on their luck.• Fink is not the only writer portrayed in the film.• Two portray large dramatic faces that do not look particularly human.Origin portray (1200-1300) Old French portraire, from Latin protrahere “to draw out, show”por·tray verbChineseSyllable
particular in to way, someone or a describe show or Corpus something
portray
por‧tray /pɔːˈtreɪ $ pɔːr-/
verb [transitive]
SYN depict:
Romantic artists portrayed nature as wild and powerful.
The President likes to portray himself as a friend of working people.
2. to describe or represent something or someone
SYN depict:
His most famous painting portrayed the death of Nelson.
Religion was portrayed in a negative way.
3. to act the part of a character in a play, film, or television programme
SYN play:
She portrays a dancer in the hit film.
▪ describe to talk or write about a person, place, event etc, in order to show what they are like: Could you try and describe the man you saw? | In her book, she describes her journey across the Sahara. | Police described the attack as particularly violent.
▪tell somebody about somebody/something to describe someone or something to someone. This phrase is more commonly used than describe in everyday spoken English: So, tell me about your holiday! | My friends have told me all about you!
▪depict formal to describe someone or something in a piece of writing: His stories depict life in Trinidad as seen through the eyes of a young boy. | In this new biography she is depicted as a lonely and unhappy woman.
▪portray/represent formal to describe someone or something in a particular way: College teachers are often represented on television shows as slightly eccentric. | The magazine has been criticized for the way it portrays women. | The treatment has been portrayed as a painless way of curing cancer, which is simply not true. | Police have represented her as a willing participant in the crimes.
▪characterize somebody/something as something formal to describe someone or something by emphasizing one particular quality or feature about them: He characterized himself as ‘an average American’. | The successful schools were characterized as innovative and creative.
▪paint somebody/something as something to describe someone or something, especially in a way that makes people believe something that is not true: Not all young people are as bad as they’re painted in the press. | We won, yet the media is painting it as a victory for our opponents. | The woman was painted as having only a slight grasp of reality.
▪paint a picture to describe a situation, so that people can get a general idea of what it is like: Can you paint a picture of life in Japan for us? | My uncle’s letters generally painted a rosy picture of how things were. | The report painted a bleak picture of the management’s failures.
por‧tray /pɔːˈtreɪ $ pɔːr-/
verb [transitive] Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: portraire, from Latin protrahere 'to draw out, show'
1. portray somebody/something as something to describe or show someone or something in a particular way, according to your opinion of them Language: Old French
Origin: portraire, from Latin protrahere 'to draw out, show'
SYN depict:
2. to describe or represent something or someone
SYN depict:
3. to act the part of a character in a play, film, or television programme
SYN play:
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