purge

American  

[purj] / pɜrdʒ /

verb (used with object)

purged, purging

1. 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.

2. to rid, clear, or free (usually followed by of orfrom ).

   The raid was intended to purge the political party of disloyal members.

3. to remove by cleansing or purifying (often followed by away, off, orout ).

4. to clear or empty (the stomach or bowels) by inducing vomiting or evacuation.

5. to cause evacuation of the bowels of (a person).

6. to put to death or otherwise eliminate (undesirable or unwanted members) from a political organization, government, nation, etc.

   Synonyms:

   extirpate, liquidate, oust

7. Computers. to delete or remove (data or the like).

   Make sure to purge all sensitive information from your phone before you sell it.

8. to clear of imputed guilt or ritual uncleanliness.

9. to clear away or wipe out legally (an offense, accusation, etc.) by atonement or other suitable action.

10. Metallurgy.

    1. to drive off (undesirable gases) from a furnace or stove.

    2. to free (a furnace or stove) of undesirable gases.

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verb (used without object)

purged, purging

1. to become cleansed or purified.

2. 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

1. the act or process of purging.

2. the removal or elimination of members of a political organization, government, nation, etc., who are considered disloyal or otherwise undesirable.

3. something that purges, as a purgative medicine or laxative.

purge British  

/ pɜːdʒ /

verb

1. (tr) to rid (something) of (impure or undesirable elements)

2. (tr) to rid (a state, political party, etc) of (dissident or troublesome people)

3. (tr)

   1. to empty (the bowels) by evacuation of faeces

   2. to cause (a person) to evacuate his bowels

4. 1. to clear (a person) of a charge

   2. to free (oneself) of guilt, as by atonement

      to purge contempt

5. (intr) to be cleansed or purified

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noun

1. the act or process of purging

2. the elimination of opponents or dissidents from a state, political party, etc

3. a purgative drug or agent; cathartic

Other Word Forms

• purgeable adjective
• purger noun
• unpurgeable adjective
• unpurged adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Sheinbaum has vowed to not purge people from the registry.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

An anti-corruption purge in the army has also not deterred Beijing from increasing its number of incursions into Taiwan's air defence zone.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

Shortly after he was sent a subpoena, according to Mr. Smith’s indictment, Messrs. Nauta and De Oliveira sought to purge the club’s surveillance footage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Maese appears to have survived the purge, at least so far; he’s in Milan right now covering the Olympics.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026

I thought that to face this thing would help purge it, but each moment only pushes Tariq deeper into me.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Related Words

• abolish
• absolve
• cleanse
• dismiss
• eradicate
• erase
• exonerate
• expel
• expunge
• exterminate
• forgive
• liquidate
• oust
• prevent
• remove
• wipe out