purse
Also called change purse [cheynj-purs] /ˈtʃeɪndʒ ˌpɜrs/ . a small bag, pouch, or case for carrying money.
anything resembling a purse in appearance, use, etc.
a sum of money offered as a prize or reward.
a sum of money collected as a present or the like.
money, resources, or wealth.
to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker: to purse one's lips.
to put into a purse.
Origin of purse
1Other words from purse
- purse·less, adjective
- purse·like, adjective
Words that may be confused with purse
- briefcase, handbag, pocketbook, purse , valise, wallet
Words Nearby purse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use purse in a sentence
On one summer lunch hour, Donna Ann Levonuk, 50, lifted a tub of diaper cream priced at $43.98—and then stashed it in her purse.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks | M.L. Nestel | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe padlocked door down the hall was now open, and I found my purse.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything | Liz Seccuro | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe retrieved a cigarette from her purse and lit it without moving her face away from the screen.
I Watched a Casino Kill Itself: The Awful Last Nights of Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal | Olivia Nuzzi | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAvailable at La Boîte SHOLDIT Clutch Wrap purse, $70 We can all agree the dorky passport holders and money bags have got to go.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Anthony Bourdain in Your Life | Allison McNearney | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThese are longer than traditional ads, mini-stories, designed to pull at heart- as well as purse strings.
How Monty The Penguin Won Christmas: Britain’s Epic, Emotional Commercials | Tim Teeman | November 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Absently his hands wandered through the pockets, and found his purse and the money in an outside pocket.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxI turned round, thrust my purse into the lap of the nearest, and with a light heart led the lady back to the hotel.
Ernest called out; "you have forgotten your money;" and he held out a purse, but the man was gone.
A Cremona Violin is, to a rich amateur, a loadstone that is sure to attract the shining metal from the depths of his purse.
Violins and Violin Makers | Joseph PearceShe did not smile as she opened a black purse and produced an envelope which she handed to Delancy.
British Dictionary definitions for purse
/ (pɜːs) /
a small bag or pouch, often made of soft leather, for carrying money, esp coins
US and Canadian a woman's handbag
anything resembling a small bag or pouch in form or function
wealth; funds
a sum of money that is offered, esp as a prize
(tr) to contract (the mouth, lips, etc) into a small rounded shape
Origin of purse
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with purse
In addition to the idiom beginning with purse
- purse strings
also see:
- can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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