Portmanteaus in English That You Should Know

Portmanteaus, or blended words, are some of my favorite parts of English. They’re so much fun to say, and there always seem to be new portmanteaus being used. This means there’s always something to learn!

We already covered some common blended words in English here, so if you need a refresher (to review/remember/a short lesson), make sure to check it out! Here are some common portmanteaus in English that we think you should know:

Athleisure

Athleisure is a blended word combining the words athletics and leisure. Athleisure typically refers to a certain (particular) type of clothing that’s worn. Think of what you would wear to a yoga class, and then to coffee with a friend. Athleisure can be something like leggings, a loose tank top, and sneakers (sport shoes). 

For example:

• Want to meet for a coffee after Pilates? Don’t worry about changing before, I’ll just be in athleisure.
• When I hang out (stay) at home, I usually just wear athleisure. There’s no need for me to get all dressed up.

Bromance

Who doesn’t love a good bromance? Bromance is a portmanteau in English that contains the words brother and romance. A bromance is a close platonic relationship between two male friends. I have a couple of guy friends that are in bromances with each other. They really care about each other a lot!

For example:

• The bromance between Paul and John is really sweet. They really care about each other a lot!
• I hope one day someone loves me like Steven and Chris love each other. Their bromance is inspirational.

Cosplay

Have you ever seen people who like to dress up as fictional (made up) characters? Maybe from books, movies, or games? Then you’ve seen people who like cosplaying. Cosplay is a blended word between the words costume and roleplay. It’s very descriptive (you can be picture it well) because cosplay involves complex (difficult) costumes and roleplaying (pretending to be) as the character.

For example: 

• She likes to cosplay as characters from her favorite game. It’s her favorite hobby, and she has a lot of fun with it.
• Who are you cosplaying as for the convention next month? I’m going as a character from a book I like.

Email

Did you know that email is a portmanteau in English? It’s such a common word now, that many don’t realize it’s a blended word from electronic and mail. Email and talking about it has become such a part of our lives, that it’s hard to imagine life without this way of communication and blended word!

For example:

• Can you send me that via (over) email, please? I’ll forget it, otherwise.
• John checks his email a couple of times a day. He doesn’t want to miss any kind of important message.

Stash

Do you have somewhere you like to keep valuable items? Or do you have somewhere you keep Christmas presents you got for people before they’re wrapped? Then you may have a stash. A stash is a portmanteau in English between the words store and cache. A stash is a secret hiding place where you can keep valuable items – like presents! My mom always kept Christmas presents in a certain box, and called it her stash.

For example:

• He keeps all of his valuable watches on a shelf in his closet, and jokingly calls it his stash.
• Jane has a stash of nice teas that she keeps on a high shelf. She doesn’t want her kids getting into all the expensive tea she has.

Do you ever use these portmanteaus when you speak English? Do you have any blended words you use in your native language? Share with us in the comments below!