on purpose
Idioms-
Deliberately, intentionally, as in He left the photo out of the story on purpose . Shakespeare's use of this idiom was among the earliest; it appears in The Comedy of Errors (4:3): “On purpose shut the doors against his way.”
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accidentally on purpose . Seemingly accidentally but actually deliberately, as in She stepped on his foot accidentally on purpose . This generally jocular phrase was first recorded in 1862.
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.
A recent study found that 38% of retirees have spent less than they wanted to, on purpose, just to keep their nest egg from shrinking.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
"He might have missed it on purpose," Murphy joked.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Venegas is now adding her voice to this shared-but-fractured written history; albeit, not entirely on purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
But, at this point, losing on purpose is so ingrained that players don’t always believe their competitors are doing their best.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
I wondered if the trapper had buried it on purpose.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
