any of several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Peltogyne
the decorative purple heartwood of any of these trees
informal a heart-shaped purple tablet consisting mainly of amphetamine
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Army combat veteran and a Purple Heart recipient.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
He joined the Marines and led a rifle platoon of the Third Marine Division in Vietnam, where he received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
As a marine, Mueller earned a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
On the wall in my den are my father’s medals: a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star from when the United States sent my father, Marcelo Villanueva, and others like him, to fight Adolf Hitler.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026
“All you’ve got there is a scratch. He’ll have you back flying combat missions the day you come out, Purple Heart and all.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
