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.
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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
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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?
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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:
The big picture: The show was an “insight into how young people find purpose in really unexpected ways,” Kronengold said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"The valuation that goes into all these companies is based on the fact that these robots will become general purpose, human-like at some point," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Her cancer battle has given her a new sense of purpose and confidence, and Enlli raises awareness on social media as well as speaking publicly.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Public corporations exist for one purpose: To maximize profits for their stockholders.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
With it came the sense that surely these rodents had no purpose other than to provide a dragon's dinner.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
The source said Swalwell was held on Saturday at SFO and released the same day he was detained for search purposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
In emerging quantum technologies, questions like this bring together two branches of physics that were developed for very different purposes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
It focuses on properties that include industrial, office, retail and special purposes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
"Please don't put these coins in, if you want to do something with your coin stick it in the charity box and we can use that money for good purposes," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Hevelius was, however, happy to use telescopes for other purposes, such as mapping the moon, and eventually built a massive 150-footer.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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
“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
We are living in the land of plenty, the birthplace of innovation by giant corporations providing employment purposed to improve life and make profit.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 28, 2022
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
Six weeks after, Governor Gore was on his way to England, not recalled, as it would seem, but purposing to give an account of himself in his own person.
From Toronto of Old by Henry Scadding
We approached it very closely, purposing to report ourselves there, but not to anchor.
From The Log of a Sea-Waif Being Recollections of the First Four Years of My Sea Life by Frank T. Bullen
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.
