purchase

American  

[pur-chuhs] / ˈpɜr tʃəs /

verb (used with object)

purchases, present (3rd person singular) purchased, past participle, past purchasing present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   procure, obtain, get

   Antonyms:

   sell

2. to acquire by effort, sacrifice, flattery, etc.

3. to influence by a bribe.

4. to be sufficient to buy.

   Twenty dollars purchases a subscription.

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

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

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

8. Obsolete. to procure, acquire, or obtain.

---

verb (used without object)

purchases, present (3rd person singular) purchased, past participle, past purchasing present participle

1. to buy something.

noun

purchases plural

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

2. something that is purchased or bought.

3. something purchased, with respect to value in relation to price; buy.

   At three for a dollar they seemed like a good purchase.

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

5. acquisition by means of effort, labor, etc..

   the purchase of comfort at the price of freedom.

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

   Synonyms:

   capstan, winch

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

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

9. the annual return or rent from land.

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

11. Obsolete. booty.

purchase British  

/ ˈpɜːtʃɪs /

verb

1. to obtain (goods, etc) by payment

2. to obtain by effort, sacrifice, etc

   to purchase one's freedom

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

4. to acquire (an estate) other than by inheritance

---

noun

1. something that is purchased, esp an article bought with money

2. the act of buying

3. acquisition of an estate by any lawful means other than inheritance

4. a rough measure of the mechanical advantage achieved by a lever

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

6. a means of achieving some influence, advantage, etc

Synonym Usage

See buy.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpurchase
  noun
• nonpurchaser
  noun
• prepurchase
  noun
• prepurchaser
  noun
• purchaser
  noun
• mispurchase
  verb (used with object)
• overpurchase
  verb (used with object)
• quasi-purchased
  adjective
• unpurchased
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• purchases
  plural

Participles

• purchasing
  present
• purchased
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• purchase
  simple
• purchases
  simple
• have purchased
  perfect
• has purchased
  perfect
• am purchasing
  progressive
• are purchasing
  progressive
• is purchasing
  progressive
• have been purchasing
  perfect progressive
• has been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Past

• purchased
  simple
• had purchased
  perfect
• was purchasing
  progressive
• were purchasing
  progressive
• had been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will purchase
  simple
• will have purchased
  perfect
• will be purchasing
  progressive
• will have been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of purchase

First recorded before 1150; (for the verb) Middle English purchasen, from Anglo-French purchacer “to seek to obtain, procure,” from pur- (from Latin prō pro ¹ ) + chacer “to chase” ( see chase ¹); noun derivative of the verb

Explanation

When you purchase a pair of shoes, you buy them. If you want to gain purchase, or favor, with new friends, you might tell them about your recent purchase of chocolate, and offer to share. Purchase can refer to the act of buying or the thing you bought. In 1803, the United States paid France approximately $15,000,000 for 800,000 acres of land which was called Louisiana, in a transaction known as the Louisiana Purchase. In this transaction, the purchase nearly doubled the size of the U.S. — the territory purchased comprises about 23 percent of current U.S. land.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purchase purchases purchased purchasing

You’re not in this purchase to grind out a small gain with a minor move — you want a big gain on a monster move in VIX.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

According to her complaint, Tenisha and Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s premarital agreement stated that the actor should purchase and maintain a term life insurance policy of $1 million with his wife as the sole beneficiary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

A further 3,847 tickets were cancelled for suspicious purchase activity in the 2025-26 season.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

There is some overlap between the fund’s holdings and those of the Teton Westwood Mighty Mites Fund, which typically buys shares of companies with valuations of up to $500 million at initial purchase.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

“So as we go down each aisle, I’ll tell you what your family can purchase from each food group.”

From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist

Consumers should check their own state’s rules to learn whether online purchases are also exempt.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Then the company rolled out its Gold card, which offers 3% cash back on all purchases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

She also argued for several key policies previously advocated by the new prime minister, including a new tax on the value of land to replace stamp duty on house purchases.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Amazon and other web platforms have made e-commerce account for 21.8% of all U.S. retail purchases, according to the Department of Commerce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

That evening over dinner Mia told our father all about our dance-wear purchases.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince

One month before the actor died, he and his wife officially purchased the ranch, with records showing that they closed on the property on Jan. 9, with the final sale price listed as $4.76 million.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Anthropic also purchased millions of print copies in bulk, stripped the books’ bindings and made scanned digital copies that were used to train Claude.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

For instance, someone who purchased a $1,400 laptop in Tennessee during tax-free weekend would save $98 on the waived 7% state sales tax plus $21 to $38 on local taxes, depending on the county.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for £300m, when the club was on the verge of administration.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

“Attention. We have been robbed by an aboatia, a girl wielding a sword purchased from Amazon, a rogue Queen Mother, and a young man with terrible fashion sense,” Tano’s voice sounds over the intercoms.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

“ARM borrowers tend to be higher-income households purchasing more expensive homes in pricier markets,” the company noted.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

By purchasing at low prices, they could amass big stakes inside their retirement accounts while remaining within annual contribution limits intended to keep tax subsidies modest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Since then, FSG has explored the possibility of purchasing a second club in continental Europe to add to its portfolio.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Some consumers have stopped purchasing lettuce and other greens sold by restaurant and grocery chains.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

They provided against Lent by purchasing dates, and green ginger of almonds, and herrings at 4s. 6d. the borse-load.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• acquire
• earn
• invest
• pick up
• procure
• redeem
• shop
• take