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.
“But it was an accident, right? Leo doesn’t seem the type to do that on purpose.”
From Literature
Based on external demands or internal cravings, you might decide that this is a stretch where you’re going to lean on repetition, on purpose.
From Salon
I assure you that Adam West did the Batusi on purpose.
From Salon
HBO “buried it on purpose,” Frey, 56, told me over breakfast in Boyle Heights.
From Los Angeles Times
Aunt Hila gave him far more cash than necessary to get the things off her list on purpose, and always let him keep the change.
From Literature
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.
