dual-purpose
Americanadjective
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serving two functions.
a dual-purpose database for research and teaching.
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(of cattle) bred for two purposes, as to provide beef and milk.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of dual-purpose
First recorded in 1910–15
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.
This is a dual-purpose probe: It can reveal hidden fixed costs that could come, for example, with taking care of an elderly parent, but it can also highlight a person’s discretionary spending.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
"In the absence of that dual-purpose, civil-military maritime mass, I don't think they can invade Taiwan," Shugart said.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
Christian McCaffrey has been carrying the 49ers along and looks back to his dual-purpose best - sitting seventh in receiving, ninth in rushing and first in combined yardage.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025
Also to the Jeep’s advantage is its dual-purpose nature; it’s equally at home on paved surfaces or when venturing off-road.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 27, 2024
Then about 1956 there was a change to dual-purpose treatment; in addition to a fungicide, dieldrin, aldrin, or heptachlor was added to combat soil insects.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
