{
    "term": "portray",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "portray",
            "heSheIt": "portrays"
        },
        "pastSimple": "portrayed",
        "pastParticiple": "portrayed",
        "ingForm": "portraying"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to show somebody/something in a picture; to describe somebody/something in a piece of writing",
            "sensetop": "portray somebody/something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The painting portrays the duke’s third wife."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was one of the first to portray animals from the New World."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His war poetry vividly portrays life in the trenches."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["accurately", "clearly", "graphically"],
                "verb + portray": ["attempt to", "try to"],
                "preposition": ["as"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to describe or show somebody/something in a particular way, especially when this does not give a complete or accurate impression of what they are like",
            "sensetop": "portray somebody/something (as somebody/something)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "represent",
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["accurately", "clearly", "graphically"],
                "verb + portray": ["attempt to", "try to"],
                "preposition": ["as"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to act a particular role in a film or play",
            "sensetop": "portray somebody/something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Her father will be portrayed by Jim Broadbent."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "play",
            "topics": ["Film and theatre"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːˈtreɪ/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portray__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːˈtreɪz/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portrays__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːˈtreɪd/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portrayed__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːˈtreɪɪŋ/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portraying__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːrˈtreɪ/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portray__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːrˈtreɪz/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portrays__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːrˈtreɪd/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portrayed__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɔːrˈtreɪɪŋ/",
                "audio": "po/portray/portraying__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French portraire, based on traire ‘to draw’, from an alteration of Latin trahere."
}