purging

[pur-jing]

adjective

1. having a clearing, emptying, or purifying effect.

   Her fears of death have passed like a cloud, absorbed in the purging sunlight of clear poetry.

2. having to do with deliberate or induced vomiting or evacuation of the bowels: These purging drugs have an excellent safety record.

   Many physical conditions result from the purging aspect of bulimia, including electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal problems, and dental issues.

   These purging drugs have an excellent safety record.

noun

1. the action of clearing, emptying, or purifying.

   It may require a lot of focused work involving the purging of old habits and harsh self-judgment.

   The drugs have been used clinically in the purging of T-cells or tumor cells from bone marrow before transplantation.

2. the act of removing or expelling people who are considered disloyal or otherwise unwanted from an organization, political party, nation, etc..

   The judge has granted a temporary injunction stopping the purging of voter registration rolls.

   The rebels’ key negotiating point was the purging of the armed forces as a first condition.

3. deliberate or induced vomiting or evacuation of the bowels: The medication affects the salivary glands, tear ducts, intestines, and bowels, and can cause violent purging.

   Binge eating can also occur on its own without the purging that occurs with bulimia.

   The medication affects the salivary glands, tear ducts, intestines, and bowels, and can cause violent purging.

Word History and Origins

Origin of purging¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; purg(e) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; purg(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

They’re not fixing the business model, but rather purging the patients who make it look broken.

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Even with U.S. warships offshore, the strongman has prevailed in efforts to unseat him—purging, spying and paying off officers so the armed forces remain loyal.

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The party sidelined Zhao for opposing martial law and later sent troops to crush the demonstrations—in what became known as the June 4 massacre—before purging him later that month.

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In the days following the story’s publication, lawmakers and animal advocates called on the state’s Food and Agriculture Department to stop “destroying evidence” of the deceptive practices by purging the records.

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She added: "Winter mortality of lambs removes inbred individuals, removes bad genes, so the flock has this purging thing the whole time which I don't think we would be able to organise."

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