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Synonyms

all-purpose

American  
[awl-pur-puhs] / ˈɔlˈpɜr pəs /

adjective

  1. for every purpose.

    an all-purpose detergent.
all-purpose British  

adjective

  1. 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

Etymology

Origin of all-purpose

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

More deals followed, including the purchase of New Orleans-style food and spices maker Zatarain’s in 2003 and all-purpose seasoning brand Lawry’s in 2008.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Warm, soapy water or a gentle all-purpose spray will take care of most surfaces.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Unified hired to create an all-purpose, artificial intelligence chatbot named “Ed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

The government is expected to announce in March whether Essex will go from two layers of 15 authorities to between three and five all-purpose unitary councils.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

We enter the all-purpose store and sit down at the luncheonette counter.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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.