purchase

American  

[pur-chuhs] / ˈpɜr tʃəs /

verb (used with object)

purchases, present (3rd person singular) purchased, past participle, past purchasing present participle

1. to acquire by the payment of money or its equivalent; buy.

   Synonyms:

   procure, obtain, get

   Antonyms:

   sell

2. to acquire by effort, sacrifice, flattery, etc.

3. to influence by a bribe.

4. to be sufficient to buy.

   Twenty dollars purchases a subscription.

5. Law. to acquire (land or other property) by means other than inheritance.

6. to move, haul, or raise, especially by applying mechanical power.

7. to get a leverage on; apply a lever, pulley, or other aid to.

8. Obsolete. to procure, acquire, or obtain.

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verb (used without object)

purchases, present (3rd person singular) purchased, past participle, past purchasing present participle

1. to buy something.

noun

purchases plural

1. acquisition by the payment of money or its equivalent; buying, or a single act of buying.

2. something that is purchased or bought.

3. something purchased, with respect to value in relation to price; buy.

   At three for a dollar they seemed like a good purchase.

4. Law. the acquisition of land or other property by means other than inheritance.

5. acquisition by means of effort, labor, etc..

   the purchase of comfort at the price of freedom.

6. a lever, pulley, or other device that provides mechanical advantage or power for moving or raising a heavy object.

   Synonyms:

   capstan, winch

7. an effective hold or position for applying power in moving or raising a heavy object; leverage.

8. any means of applying or increasing power, influence, etc.

9. the annual return or rent from land.

10. a firm grip or grasp, footing, etc., on something.

11. Obsolete. booty.

purchase British  

/ ˈpɜːtʃɪs /

verb

1. to obtain (goods, etc) by payment

2. to obtain by effort, sacrifice, etc

   to purchase one's freedom

3. to draw, haul, or lift (a load) with the aid of mechanical apparatus

4. to acquire (an estate) other than by inheritance

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noun

1. something that is purchased, esp an article bought with money

2. the act of buying

3. acquisition of an estate by any lawful means other than inheritance

4. a rough measure of the mechanical advantage achieved by a lever

5. a firm foothold, grasp, etc, as for climbing or levering something

6. a means of achieving some influence, advantage, etc

Synonym Usage

See buy.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpurchase
  noun
• nonpurchaser
  noun
• prepurchase
  noun
• prepurchaser
  noun
• purchaser
  noun
• mispurchase
  verb (used with object)
• overpurchase
  verb (used with object)
• quasi-purchased
  adjective
• unpurchased
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• purchases
  plural

Participles

• purchasing
  present
• purchased
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• purchase
  simple
• purchases
  simple
• have purchased
  perfect
• has purchased
  perfect
• am purchasing
  progressive
• are purchasing
  progressive
• is purchasing
  progressive
• have been purchasing
  perfect progressive
• has been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Past

• purchased
  simple
• had purchased
  perfect
• was purchasing
  progressive
• were purchasing
  progressive
• had been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will purchase
  simple
• will have purchased
  perfect
• will be purchasing
  progressive
• will have been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of purchase

First recorded before 1150; (for the verb) Middle English purchasen, from Anglo-French purchacer “to seek to obtain, procure,” from pur- (from Latin prō pro ¹ ) + chacer “to chase” ( see chase ¹); noun derivative of the verb

Explanation

When you purchase a pair of shoes, you buy them. If you want to gain purchase, or favor, with new friends, you might tell them about your recent purchase of chocolate, and offer to share. Purchase can refer to the act of buying or the thing you bought. In 1803, the United States paid France approximately $15,000,000 for 800,000 acres of land which was called Louisiana, in a transaction known as the Louisiana Purchase. In this transaction, the purchase nearly doubled the size of the U.S. — the territory purchased comprises about 23 percent of current U.S. land.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purchase purchases purchased purchasing

Banks have to pay Apple a fee of about 0.15% of the purchase price when one of their credit cards is used in Apple Pay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“Reframing a $1,200 purchase as a ~$40/month lease pulls forward real incremental demand from buyers who wanted to upgrade but balked at the lump sum,” Feinseth said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

The purchase was funded by a gift from the Bukhman Foundation.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

It has met that goal on an annualized basis since 2020, according to its website, by partnering with renewable energy providers on long-term power purchase agreements.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

“No receipts. You never received this purchase here, and I will never see you again.”

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

When shoppers don’t have enough to cover purchases, several vendors suggested that they were open to bartering or offering deals for long-term customers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Eric Hoffman, Early Warning’s chief partnerships officer, says Paze is trying to sign up coffee shops and other places where people make everyday purchases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

For example, a stock’s forward P/E valuation might be 15 when he purchases it and expand to 35 over the next year and a half.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The purchases could provide support to the domestic bond market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Outside, Dr. Blankenship was waiting in the parking lot, the back of his Prius full of purchases from Trader Joe’s.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Online reviews seen by ESF also sparked concerns about how widely the devices it tested may have been purchased and used.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The former stand-up comedian recently purchased a portion of CBS’s late-night block earlier this year, taking over the time slot for the 2026-2027 season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

"That equipment was not easy to come by. We purchased it from the Canadian government months ago" and worked to refurbish it "back to its former glory," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

I purchased a $50 pass to Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

When George Washington purchased Billy, Frank, and the other two boys in 1767, Virginia was one of thirteen British colonies in America.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Workers demand higher wages to recover lost purchasing power.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Customers are entering the latest episode with sufficient inventory and a more disciplined purchasing approach, reducing the potential of panic buying, she reckons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Others may choose to try their luck in getting coveted cards by purchasing booster packs for about $5 to $7 each.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

U.S. economic data due Friday include the S&P flash services and manufacturing purchasing managers surveys for July, released at 9:45 a.m.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

British purchasing agents roved about the country, buying food and cloth and metals and chemicals.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• acquire
• earn
• invest
• pick up
• procure
• redeem
• shop
• take