purge
Americanverb (used with object)
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purges,
present (3rd person singular)
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purged,
past participle, past
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purging
present participle
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to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable; cleanse; purify.
The water was purged and then tested for purity, so it should be safe to drink.
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to rid, clear, or free (usually followed by of orfrom ).
The raid was intended to purge the political party of disloyal members.
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to remove by cleansing or purifying (often followed by away, off, orout ).
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to clear or empty (the stomach or bowels) by inducing vomiting or evacuation.
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to cause evacuation of the bowels of (a person).
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to put to death or otherwise eliminate (undesirable or unwanted members) from a political organization, government, nation, etc.
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Computers. to delete or remove (data or the like).
Make sure to purge all sensitive information from your phone before you sell it.
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to clear of imputed guilt or ritual uncleanliness.
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to clear away or wipe out legally (an offense, accusation, etc.) by atonement or other suitable action.
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Metallurgy.
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to drive off (undesirable gases) from a furnace or stove.
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to free (a furnace or stove) of undesirable gases.
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verb (used without object)
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purges,
present (3rd person singular)
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purged,
past participle, past
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purging
present participle
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to become cleansed or purified.
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to clear or empty the stomach or bowels by inducing vomiting or evacuation.
A bulimic individual who binges and purges often will experience physical changes that make stopping the cycle extremely difficult.
noun
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purges
plural
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the act or process of purging.
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the removal or elimination of members of a political organization, government, nation, etc., who are considered disloyal or otherwise undesirable.
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something that purges, as a purgative medicine or laxative.
verb
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(tr) to rid (something) of (impure or undesirable elements)
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(tr) to rid (a state, political party, etc) of (dissident or troublesome people)
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(tr)
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to empty (the bowels) by evacuation of faeces
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to cause (a person) to evacuate his bowels
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to clear (a person) of a charge
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to free (oneself) of guilt, as by atonement
to purge contempt
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(intr) to be cleansed or purified
noun
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the act or process of purging
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the elimination of opponents or dissidents from a state, political party, etc
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a purgative drug or agent; cathartic
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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purgesimple
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purgessimple
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have purgedperfect
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has purgedperfect
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am purgingprogressive
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are purgingprogressive
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is purgingprogressive
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have been purgingperfect progressive
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has been purgingperfect progressive
Past
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purgedsimple
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had purgedperfect
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was purgingprogressive
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were purgingprogressive
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had been purgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of purge
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English purgen, from Old French purg(i)er, from Latin pūrgāre “to cleanse”; (noun) Middle English, from Old French, derivative of the verb
Explanation
To purge is to get rid of something or someone, and often it’s done suddenly. Purge rhymes with urge, and when you have a really strong urge to throw stuff away or clean something out, you have an urge to purge. From the Latin purgare, meaning "purify," purge is used as a verb for removing impure things, whether they're guilty feelings in a person or rotten vegetables in a refrigerator. As a noun, the act of tossing out the too-small clothes in your closet before getting new ones might be called a purge. It can be a very bad act, too, as when individuals have an unhealthy urge to purge or empty their stomachs after eating or when a military group decides to purge a certain ethnic group from a country.
Vocabulary lists containing purge
"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Still, the latest retaliatory purge was as pathetic as it was predictable.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
"Could it work a week after infection? Two weeks? How far can you go after infection, and still purge the virus?"
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
They have been dreaming of a revolution which will remake Myanmar as a more democratic and inclusive country, and purge the armed forces from politics.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
As China expands the capabilities of its armed forces, it has also undergone a widespread purge of its military leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Elnora and I ministered to her with the juice of bitter roots and crushed flowers to purge her foul humors and ease the pains in her head.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Similarly, the Independent has the headline: "Burnham vows to be 'circuit-breaker' PM as he purges cabinet".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The waves of purges aimed at rooting out corruption and disloyalty have pushed many officials to focus on finding ways to please Beijing and avoid punishment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Xi’s recent purges of senior Chinese military officials could also be influencing air force activity, the official suggested.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
"The detention of Zhang Youxia was the capstone arrest of the greatest series of purges in the history of China's PLA," experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in a note.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
But when Daisy left him the old man did not come anymore and he had to content himself with purges and kidney pills advertised in the newspapers.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Previously purged under Mao Zedong's regime, Zhu was brought back into the fold after Mao's death in 1976.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Maybe you could call it a tea party wokeness, purged of pedants and scolds.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
An economic planner and later an engineer at the State Planning Commission, Zhu was purged twice during the tumultuous early decades of the People's Republic.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“One Night Only” feels purged of a brain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
It had been a long, extended anatomy lesson purged of reverence or homage.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
It is likely to have a limited impact in the month ahead because the law forbids states from purging their voter rolls in the 90 days before an election.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
As someone who grew up participating in many garage sales, I do think there is value in purging, even if you’re not selling items for as much as you potentially could.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
“Is he purging not just perfectly competent people, but highly competent people, the people you would want in your foxhole?” he asks.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
If you have trouble closing drawers or closet doors, she wrote, it is time to start purging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
She grew pale and sweaty but did not require purging or leeches.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
