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.
Elmer Roldan, who lives on 55th Street, said some of his homeless neighbors have been causing fires — sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
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
Even though Balogun had stepped on Tarik Muharemović’s leg, there was no indication he did it on purpose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
"He might have missed it on purpose," Murphy joked.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
She had gone to bed late, and had slept in on purpose, telling herself she deserved it after a rather difficult day.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
