purchase

[ pur-chuhs ]
See synonyms for: purchasepurchasedpurchasespurchasing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),pur·chased, pur·chas·ing.
  1. to acquire by the payment of money or its equivalent; buy.

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

  1. to influence by a bribe.

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

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

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

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

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

verb (used without object),pur·chased, pur·chas·ing.
  1. to buy something.

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

  2. something that is purchased or bought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

  7. the annual return or rent from land.

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

  9. Obsolete. booty.

Origin of purchase

1
First recorded before 1150; (for the verb) Middle English purchasen, from Anglo-French purchacer “to seek to obtain, procure,” from pur- (from Latin prō pro1) + chacer “to chase” (see chase1 ); noun derivative of the verb

synonym study For purchase

1. See buy.

Other words for purchase

Opposites for purchase

Other words from purchase

  • pur·chas·er, noun
  • mis·pur·chase, verb (used with object), mis·pur·chased, mis·pur·chas·ing.
  • non·pur·chase, noun
  • non·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, noun
  • quasi-purchased, adjective
  • un·pur·chased, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use purchase in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for purchase

purchase

/ (ˈpɜːtʃɪs) /


verb(tr)
  1. to obtain (goods, etc) by payment

  2. to obtain by effort, sacrifice, etc: to purchase one's freedom

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

  2. 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

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

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

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

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

Origin of purchase

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

Derived forms of purchase

  • purchaser, noun

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