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Which city did President Jefferson hope to acquire before making the Louisiana Purchase?

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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.

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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

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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

Months later, it launched its service in the United States, offering some 300,000 titles for purchase.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

It is also working with NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center, a nuclear reactor in Iowa, and has paired with reactor developer Kairos Power to purchase electricity from its projects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Her first hit item was a baby rattle shaped like a chicken drumstick that was sold wrapped in cellophane, much like a meat-counter purchase.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Another thing to think about is changing demographics, especially with Gen Z and millennials in a phase where they may be trying to purchase homes, said Vanguard’s Huang.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

“Every man and woman in the United States will be asked to purchase war savings stamps,” I set the paper down.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Berkshire’s latest purchases were made last Thursday and Friday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Rising prices would likely account for about half that increase, the card issuer said, with the rest coming from a higher volume of purchases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

In total, the federal government has now spent nearly $3.2 billion on detention facility purchases, the majority of them in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

While that pattern, with the inviting name of “golden cross,” isn’t necessarily meant to time market purchases, history suggests that, at the very least, it shouldn’t be ignored.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

She added her purchases to ours and paid for it all.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

The “Dune” star, 58, and wife Kathryn Boyd Brolin, 38, purchased the dwelling in 2020 for $3.25 million.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

As part of his plea agreement, Iza agreed to forfeit several items purchased as part of the conspiracy, including two Mercedes-Benzes, a Ferrari and dozens of luxury handbags from Hermes, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Access to weapons varies based on capability, a pocket knife can be purchased by anyone anywhere, firearms are restricted from certain groups, and missiles are only available to militaries and are meticulously accounted for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

In 2023, Leeds City Council purchased the nearby former Sunday School building, which was built in 1900, for use as a "learning and skills centre".

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Lawrence Washington died in 1752, and Washington later purchased his brother’s Mount Vernon plantation for himself.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

As part of its expansion, Google also signed a 22-year power purchasing agreement with Finnish energy company Fortum covering up to half the capacity of the Loviisa nuclear power plant.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Borrowing costs rising alongside worries about government finances and purchasing power can be a warning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

However, Brazilians complain about a loss of purchasing power and authorities are concerned about rising household debt.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Support for the market has come from strong earnings growth and robust economic data, particularly leading indicators like purchasing managers’ indexes, he noted.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

After the arrival of Europeans, the Big Island’s King Kamehameha I rapidly proceeded with the consolidation of the largest islands by purchasing European guns and ships to invade and conquer first Maui and then Oahu.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

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