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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

The purchase will be made primarily through an exchange of stock, an indication that cash — once the common currency for such deals — has become less available for such deals.
Ezra Klein leaves Vox, the website he founded, for New York Times, in a digital media A-list exodus|Paul Farhi, Sarah Ellison|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
If you’ve never bought from a brand before, it is very risky to make a purchase because there is very limited context in selecting your size.
Xesto is a foot scanning app that simplifies shoe gifting|Natasha Lomas|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
The purchase would be a chance for Baidu to expand into live-streaming, an enormously popular social media and retail channel in China.
China search giant Baidu inked a $3.6 billion deal for a live-streaming platform. Then came the fraud claims|Naomi Xu Elegant|November 19, 2020|Fortune
After selecting their purchases, shoppers can choose a schedule for paying for them at an annual interest rate of 0% to 30%, according to Affirm’s website.
Online lender Affirm joins year-end rush for IPOs|Verne Kopytoff|November 19, 2020|Fortune

This type of behavior hurts the pockets of consumers and limits their ability to make informed purchases.
Apple to pay $113 million to settle claims over iPhone ‘batterygate’|Verne Kopytoff|November 18, 2020|Fortune
The building used to be an all-girls school, and when it was initially purchased by Fortune it was dilapidated.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
People will always scratch and save if a sudden burst of unrestrained pleasure can be purchased.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When a top Mobutu confidant named Colonel Alphonse Bangala purchased the island, Lometcha bought shares.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But a recently purchased automated bottling line has increased their output to sixty cases per hour.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Göring, of course, would amass an astounding collection of artwork himself, both purchased and stolen.
Top Nazis And Their Complicated Relationship With Artists|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is difficult to make, and should be purchased ready prepared from a reliable dealer.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The total area of land purchased for the carrying-out of the scheme is put at 215,317 square yds.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Gallinas, the noted slave factory on the west of Africa, purchased by the Liberian republic.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
For the antenna and lead-in and ground wires, Jessie purchased three hundred feet of copper wire, number fourteen.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
An hour later, I heard he was dead: that on his way to his home he had purchased a bottle of laudanum and swallowed the contents!
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