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  • Purple Heart
    Purple Heart
    noun
    a medal awarded for wounds received in action against an enemy or as a direct result of an act of the enemy.
  • purple heart
    purple heart
    noun
    any of several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Peltogyne
Synonyms

Purple Heart

American  

noun

U.S. Armed Forces.
  1. a medal awarded for wounds received in action against an enemy or as a direct result of an act of the enemy.


purple heart 1 British  

noun

  1. any of several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Peltogyne

  2. the decorative purple heartwood of any of these trees

  3. informal a heart-shaped purple tablet consisting mainly of amphetamine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Purple Heart 2 British  

noun

  1. a decoration awarded to members of the US Armed Forces for a wound incurred in action

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Purple Heart

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

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.

Carlysia remembered Ryan by posting a photo of her aunt accompanied by purple heart and dove emojis to her Instagram story.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024

He was awarded the purple heart and is buried in the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer in Normandy.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2024

Four were red and the fifth had a small purple heart bordered by silver varnish.

From Reuters • Feb. 22, 2023

Under the porthole, surfboard and ceiling strung with fish nets and lights, Cooke built an intricate inlay floor pattern from 17 different kinds of wood, including oak, purple heart, ebony, mahogany, acacia and Brazilian cherry.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2022

Its surface is lined with hot-pink construction paper, covered in blue and purple heart stickers.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

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