purport

American  

[per-pawrt, -pohrt, pur-pawrt, -pohrt, pur-pawrt, -pohrt] / pərˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt, ˈpɜr pɔrt, -poʊrt, ˈpɜr pɔrt, -poʊrt /

verb (used with object)

1. to present, especially deliberately, the appearance of being; profess or claim, often falsely.

   a document purporting to be official.

2. to convey to the mind as the meaning or thing intended; express or imply.

   Synonyms:

   signify, intend, mean

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noun

1. the meaning, import, or sense.

   the main purport of your letter.

   Synonyms:

   gist, trend, drift, implication

2. purpose; intention; object.

   the main purport of their visit to France.

purport British  

verb

1. to claim (to be a certain thing, etc) by manner or appearance, esp falsely

2. (esp of speech or writing) to signify or imply

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noun

1. meaning; significance

2. purpose; object; intention

Related Words

See meaning.

Other Word Forms

• purportless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of purport

First recorded in 1375–1425; (verb) late Middle English purporten, from Anglo-French purporter “to mean, signify,” Old French porporter “to carry, convey,” equivalent to pur- pro- ¹ + porter “to carry” (from Latin portāre ); (noun) late Middle English, from Anglo-French, derivative of the verb

Explanation

Use purport when you want to convince people about something that might not be true, like when you purport that the dog ate your homework. The verb purport can mean "to claim" — whether you mean it or not — or "to intend," like when you purport to study all night. So it makes sense that as a noun, purport means the intention or purpose, like the purport of a political candidate's speech was to get your vote. If the speech was long and hard to follow, you might be lucky just to get the purport, which here means "the main point or meaning."

Example Sentences

In some cases, they’re spending over $1,000 a month on capsules, powders and injections that purport to improve sleep, fertility, longevity and more, but often aren’t approved for those purposes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Yet the resulting ambiguity risks reinforcing the very problem the guidelines purport to solve: public distrust of expert guidance.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026

These are guys who purport to be data-driven, quantitative, hard-numbers people.

From Slate • Aug. 15, 2025

They were pictured together at elite events in the 1990s, and photos recently published by CNN purport to show Epstein in attendance at Trump's wedding to then-wife Marla Maples.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2025

The series does not purport to be all-inclusive or the last word on class.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• imply
• pose as
• pretend
• profess