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.
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
“All the conveyor belts are broken,” said Suzy Welch, a management professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, at a recent symposium on purpose and flourishing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
"Socially I can be very awkward – not on purpose – but when it comes to football, I'm really open and happy," he says.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
If you’re trying to get excited about vegetables, give yourself permission to make them delicious on purpose.
From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026
He had his shepherd’s son into the parlour one night on purpose to sing to her.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
