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definitions

all-purpose

[ awl-pur-puh s ]
/ ˈɔlˈpɜr pəs /
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adjective

for every purpose: an all-purpose detergent.

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RELATED WORDS

profitable, good, helpful, effective, convenient, fruitful, practical, appropriate, favorable, proper, pragmatic, suitable, handy, advantageous, gifted, talented, skillful, skilled, functional, all-around

Nearby words

  1. all-over,
  2. all-overs,
  3. all-pass,
  4. all-points bulletin,
  5. all-powerful,
  6. all-right,
  7. all-round,
  8. all-rounder,
  9. all-singing all-dancing,
  10. all-sorts

Origin of all-purpose

First recorded in 1925–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for all-purpose

British Dictionary definitions for all-purpose

all-purpose

adjective

useful for many things
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
Word Origin and History for all-purpose

all-purpose

adj.

1877, from all + purpose (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper