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general-purpose

American

[jen-er-uhl-pur-puhs] / ˈdʒɛn ər əlˈpɜr pəs /

adjective

useful in many ways; not limited in use or function.

a good general-purpose dictionary.

general-purpose British

adjective

having a range of uses or applications; not restricted to one function

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of general-purpose

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

Cloudflare, SAP, and two other companies also signed on as customers for general-purpose CPU applications.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Systems designed for clinical care can be safer and more effective than general-purpose chatbots, proponents say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

In December, the Silicon Valley giant bought another AI firm called Manus, a Chinese-founded company that builds general-purpose bots.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

The Moltbook acquisition follows the company’s $2 billion acquisition in December of Manus AI, a Singapore-based startup specializing in general-purpose agents.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

It does, however, include the cream of the list for general-purpose gardening.

From Amateur Gardencraft A Book for the Home-Maker and Garden Lover by Rexford, Eben E. (Eben Eugene)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023