purchase

[ pur-chuhs ]

/ ˈpɜr tʃəs /

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See synonyms for: purchase / purchased / purchases / purchasing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), pur·chased, pur·chas·ing.

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

to acquire by effort, sacrifice, flattery, etc.

to influence by a bribe.

to be sufficient to buy: Twenty dollars purchases a subscription.

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

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

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

Obsolete. to procure, acquire, or obtain.

verb (used without object), pur·chased, pur·chas·ing.

to buy something.

noun

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

something that is purchased or bought.

something purchased, with respect to value in relation to price; buy: At three for a dollar they seemed like a good purchase.

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

acquisition by means of effort, labor, etc.: the purchase of comfort at the price of freedom.

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

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

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

the annual return or rent from land.

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

Obsolete. booty.

OTHER WORDS FOR purchase

1 get, obtain, procure.

15 winch, capstan.

See synonyms for purchase on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR purchase

1 sell.

See antonyms for purchase on Thesaurus.com

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of purchase

before 1150; (v.) Middle English purchasen<Anglo-French purchacer to seek to obtain, procure (Old French pourchacier), equivalent to pur- (<Latin prōpro¹) + chacer to chase¹; (noun) Middle English <Anglo-French purchas (Old French porchas), derivative of the v.

synonym study for purchase

1. See buy.

OTHER WORDS FROM purchase

pur·chas·er, nounmis·pur·chase, verb (used with object), mis·pur·chased, mis·pur·chas·ing.non·pur·chase, nounnon·pur·chas·er, noun

o·ver·pur·chase, verb (used with object), o·ver·pur·chased, o·ver·pur·chas·ing.pre·pur·chase, noun, verb (used with object), pre·pur·chased, pre·pur·chas·ing.pre·pur·chas·er, nounquasi-purchased, adjectiveun·pur·chased, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use purchase in a sentence

He has picked pre-primary brawls with Christie, Perry, and Marco Rubio.
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign|Olivia Nuzzi|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were able to purchase weapons and plot attacks on the island without much interference.
Of Cuban Spies, a Baby, and a Filmmaker: The Strange Tale of the Cuban Five|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At that time, pre -9/11, the links were more subtle and had to be hunted down.
ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism|Louise I. Shelley|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While in pre-trial detention, Krivov undertook two hunger strikes.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At his year-end, pre-Hawaii press conference, we caught a rare glimpse of peak Obama.
The Liberation of the Lame Duck: Obama Goes Full Bulworth|John Avlon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Spaniards, indeed, feigned to regard them only as a remnant of the rebels who had joined the pre-existing brigand bands.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Doubtless the commentator habit is fixed in the nature of man; but it was pre-eminently mediaeval.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
People have not only ceased to purchase those old-fashioned things called books, but even to read them!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
From affluence he came to want, and in his old age a fund was raised sufficient to purchase him an annuity of £600 a year.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
From pre-natal days I was destined for the railway service, as an oyster to its shell.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for purchase

purchase

/ (ˈpɜːtʃɪs) /

verb (tr)

to obtain (goods, etc) by payment

to obtain by effort, sacrifice, etcto purchase one's freedom

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

to acquire (an estate) other than by inheritance

noun

something that is purchased, esp an article bought with money

the act of buying

acquisition of an estate by any lawful means other than inheritance

a rough measure of the mechanical advantage achieved by a lever

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

a means of achieving some influence, advantage, etc

Derived forms of purchase

purchaser, noun

Word Origin for purchase

C13: from Old French porchacier to strive to obtain, from por- for + chacier to chase 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

purchase

OTHER WORDS FOR purchase

OPPOSITES FOR purchase

Origin of purchase

synonym study for purchase

OTHER WORDS FROM purchase

Words related to purchase

How to use purchase in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for purchase

Derived forms of purchase

Word Origin for purchase