purpose
Americannoun
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purposes
plural
-
the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
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determination; resoluteness.
-
the subject in hand; the point at issue.
-
practical result, effect, or advantage.
to act to good purpose.
verb (used with object)
-
to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.
-
to intend; design.
- Synonyms:
- plan, contemplate, mean
-
to resolve (to do something).
He purposed to change his way of life radically.
verb (used without object)
idioms
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on purpose, by design; intentionally.
How could you do such a thing on purpose?
-
to the purpose, relevant; to the point.
Her objections were not to the purpose.
noun
-
the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists
-
a fixed design, outcome, or idea that is the object of an action or other effort
-
fixed intention in doing something; determination
a man of purpose
-
practical advantage or use
to work to good purpose
-
that which is relevant or under consideration (esp in the phrase to or from the purpose )
-
archaic purport
-
intentionally
verb
Synonym Usage
See intention.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prepurposeverb (used with object)
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repurposeverb (used with object)
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unpurposedadjective
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unpurposingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of purpose
First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English purpos, from Old French, derivative of purposer, variant of proposer “to propose ”; (verb) Middle English purposen, from Anglo-French, Old French purposer
Explanation
When you do something with purpose, you do it with determination. When your activities have a purpose, you have an aim or intention in mind. This noun also has a third meaning: "function, role, or use." The purpose of a fork, for instance, is to spear and scoop food from your plate, not to poke your little brother at the dinner table. Purpose can also be used as a verb meaning "to reach a decision" or "to intend," though these uses of the word are quite a bit less frequent nowadays.
Vocabulary lists containing purpose
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some plans force you to take the entire balance at once, which defeats the purpose.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Across media, Griffin believes Lynch’s strangeness ultimately serves a humane purpose: It returns viewers to the difficult, daunting, delicious business of being an imperfect person in an imperfect world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Travel editor Rory Boland said its checks had been shown to be "unfit for purpose".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
"The tasks are going to be automated, but our jobs' purpose remains," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
“I am addressing you for the purpose of reemphasizing the seriousness of the situation this nation faces.”
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The connectivity could also work for entertainment purposes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Aegis, one of the company’s four-legged bots, is being tested for security and perimeter control purposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
About 15 minutes later, after sensing that it is running low on spray – water for today's purposes – the aircraft lands itself for a manual refill and demonstration battery swap.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The AI will become an annoying digital neighbor we can’t get rid of and whose purposes we can’t know.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
They might never come close, but they could approach a point where, for all intents and purposes, she knew all that she needed to know.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
QCi said Monday that the foundry, “currently purposed for research and development and prototyping,” had begun to generate early revenue, though contributions weren’t broken out in the report.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
If the purposed minimum pay rate does go through, it'll be the first of its kind nationwide.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2023
“I stood next to the job for four years. I purposed to be ready every day for four years,” Pence said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
“There are no awards. There are no winners or losers tonight. It’s just our passion that makes our heart beat faster. It makes our life so much more greatly purposed with joy and fulfillment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2023
I do not know how, purposed with so high & noble Aims, we end thus in Ruin.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
As ProPublica detailed in 2016, several state court systems have adopted a proprietary software that purports to put a probability on recidivism for sentencing purposing.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2021
I read with my watch upon the table, purposing to close my book at eleven o’clock.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Tharsos held on steadily, purposing that if death should happen to him, it would be as far away as possible from the eyes of the sore-tried, desolate maiden.
From The Mother of St. Nicholas A Story of Duty and Peril by Grant Balfour
Having by this time some basis of calculation, they took the long look, knew what they were about, and, though purposing to be as prompt as possible, were too cool to be in a hurry.
From William Bradford of Plymouth by Albert Hale Plumb
Accordingly I turned myself about, purposing to acquaint Billy with what I had discovered, and to come again, either with him or alone, with sufficient light to hold out to the end.
From Palm Tree Island by Herbert Strang
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
