porter

porter — noun

1. a worker who carries bags and other heavy things for travelers in places such as

1.nounB2
Definition

a worker who carries bags and other heavy things for travelers in places such as hotels, airports, and stations

Example

A porter lifted our suitcases onto the airport bus.

typical object: porter + suitcases

Outside the hotel, two porters unloaded boxes from the taxi.

plural form: porters

Common collocations
  • hotel porter
  • station porter
  • airport porter
  • call a porter
Synonyms
  • bellhop

    Mainly American and usually limited to hotel service.

  • baggage handler

    Often used for airport or station workers moving luggage.

  • carrier

    Much broader; it does not specifically suggest a job in a travel setting.

Usage Note

Mostly used in travel settings such as hotels, stations, and airports. In American English, bellhop is more usual for a hotel worker, while baggage handler is more common for airport staff working with luggage.

Common Mistakes

The porter in our apartment carried the suitcases upstairs.
The porter at the hotel carried the suitcases upstairs.
This sense is for a travel-service worker, not the person who watches a building entrance.

2. a worker who stays by the main door of a big shared building and helps residents

2.nounC1
Definition

a worker who stays by the main door of a big shared building and helps residents, staff, and visitors

Example

The school porter opened the side gate for late students.

compound noun: school porter

Visitors asked the porter which floor Dr. Lin was on.

Common collocations
  • school porter
  • hospital porter
  • night porter
  • front entrance porter
Synonyms
  • caretaker

    Broader word for someone who looks after a building or place.

  • doorman

    Focuses more on the entrance and greeting people.

  • concierge

    Usually in hotels or apartment buildings, often with more guest-service duties.

Usage Note

Usually attached to a school, hospital, college, hotel, or apartment building. Distinguish from sense 1: this person mainly watches the entrance and helps visitors, rather than carrying travelers' luggage.

Common Mistakes

The building porter carried our luggage to the train.
The building porter showed us to the lift.
This sense is about managing a building entrance, not travel baggage service.

3. a worker on a sleeping train who makes up beds, handles bags, and looks after pa

3.nounC2
Definition

a worker on a sleeping train who makes up beds, handles bags, and looks after passengers during the night

Example

The porter turned our seats into beds after dinner.

typical duty: turn seats into beds

Before dawn, the porter brought clean towels to each cabin.

Common collocations
  • train porter
  • sleeping-car porter
  • porter made up the beds
  • porter woke the passengers
Synonyms
  • attendant

    General service word; it does not specifically suggest a train sleeper car.

  • sleeping-car attendant

    More exact term, especially in American English.

  • steward

    Broader travel-service word, often used on ships or planes instead.

Usage Note

Usually refers to staff on older or long-distance trains with sleeping cars. Distinguish from sense 2: this porter serves train passengers during an overnight journey, not a building entrance.

Common Mistakes

The porter on the bus made up our beds.
The porter on the night train made up our beds.
This sense belongs to sleeping trains.

4. a dark, strong beer with a rich roasted taste

4.nounC1
Definition

a dark, strong beer with a rich roasted taste

Example

Marcus ordered a porter with his beef pie.

ordering a drink: order a porter

The pub served a cold porter in a tall glass.

Common collocations
  • glass of porter
  • porter on tap
  • drink porter
  • dark porter
Synonyms
  • stout

    A very close dark beer style, often heavier or creamier than porter.

  • dark ale

    Broader term for dark-colored ales, not a precise style name.

Usage Note

Used for the drink, not the worker. On menus and labels, porter usually names a beer style rather than a single brand.

Common Mistakes

I ordered a porter beer.
I ordered a porter.
The word porter already names the beer style.

porter — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For the luggage-carrying sense, porter is a service worker who helps travelers with bags, especially in hotels, stations, or airports. Bellhop is mainly American and is narrower, usually meaning a hotel worker who carries guests' luggage. Baggage handler is common for airport or station staff, but it often suggests workers moving luggage behind the scenes rather than helping one traveler face to face. Attendant is much broader and can describe many service jobs, so it does not clearly suggest carrying bags. Carrier is broader still and may mean a person, company, or even a vehicle that transports things. If someone takes your suitcase upstairs in a hotel, porter or bellhop fits. If workers load hundreds of cases onto a plane, baggage handlers is better.

bellhopbaggage handlerattendantcarrier ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Porter came into English through French from Latin words connected with carrying. The worker senses grew from the basic idea of carrying loads. Later, porter also became the name of a dark beer, probably because it was especially linked with London porters who drank it.