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.”
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.

This quote helps explain why Chelsea may have run less on purpose, particularly in the first part of the season.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

If a professional boxer loses a fight on purpose, it’s called a “dive” or “tanking” and it is illegal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

NBA teams are increasingly losing games on purpose to improve their draft prospects and basketball must consider every possible remedy to stamp out deliberate "tanking," the league's chief said Saturday.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

Once you see “special” as something you can make on purpose, it stops feeling rare or fragile.

From Salon • Feb. 10, 2026

Mom was acting like Cat tangled her hair on purpose.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023