all-purpose
Americanadjective
adjective
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.
Then I come back in with a second pass: an all-purpose spray.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
Fewer all-purpose unitary councils are expected to save money and be simpler for residents.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
One undisputed example of contracts that went awry is $6 million allotted to AllHere, a tech startup that was hired to design an all-purpose, artificial intelligence chatbot for L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
Nowadays, the industry uses more effective cleaners, such as peracetic acid, a kind of all-purpose antimicrobial agent used in hospital cleaners, produce washes, and meat processing.
From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2026
This meant, for example, the two separate notes G\> and F# were combined into one, all-purpose note: one key represented them both.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
