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

“The purchase boosts Magnolia’s remaining location count by about 70%” in certain areas of South Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale region, he says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Similarly to that crawl, L.A.’s will feature a passport system, which involves delegating stamps for every purchase of $10 or more at each stop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

We would like to purchase one in our very high-cost, high-tax state.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Meehan said Knocking does its best to mitigate that possibility by accepting returns up to six months after purchase.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

The only thing left to do in the Hideout is set up my thrift store purchase.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

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

Effective 1993, they were required to make 30% of their mortgage purchases so-called low- and moderate-income housing loans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● 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

"Leveraging these services, the smartphone can provide one-stop support for travel bookings, everyday purchases, local services, office productivity and video editing," it said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Her customers, too, began to look like their purchases: Companera Sordo with her bristly jowls and upturned nose, Companero Llorente with his pink eyes and jerking chin.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

The ticket was purchased through United Airlines, but the flight was operated by Air Canada, and it proved very challenging to get a new ticket printed with the correct name spelling, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Sony purchased the Austin, Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse in 2024, with venues in major cities all across the U.S., including L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The first, a nine-bedroom, 12-bathroom mansion, was purchased in 2003 for $14.5 million.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Barker and DeDiego, wearing black delivery uniforms purchased the day before, and the wigs and glasses issued to Hunt and Liddy, got out and entered the building through the unlocked back door.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

After another strong year for the American market, you decide to diversify internationally by purchasing an emerging-markets exchange-traded fund.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

"It feels like our purchasing power is shrinking. This is the only way to combat that."

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

The North Carolina Republican co-sponsored a bill earlier this year that bars members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from purchasing stocks in publicly traded companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

U.K. flash purchasing managers’ surveys for July are due Friday, giving a picture of activity in the manufacturing and services sectors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

“They’re giving me my own lab. Meanwhile, don’t tell them, but I’m purchasing mass quantities of research supplies: sugar, gelatin, cornstarch and...jelly bean molds!”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

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