purport
Americanverb (used with object)
-
purports,
present (3rd person singular)
-
purported,
past participle, past
-
purporting
present participle
noun
-
the meaning, import, or sense.
the main purport of your letter.
- Synonyms:
- gist, trend, drift, implication
-
purpose; intention; object.
the main purport of their visit to France.
verb
-
to claim (to be a certain thing, etc) by manner or appearance, esp falsely
-
(esp of speech or writing) to signify or imply
noun
-
meaning; significance
-
purpose; object; intention
Synonym Usage
See meaning.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
purportsimple
-
purportssimple
-
have purportedperfect
-
has purportedperfect
-
am purportingprogressive
-
are purportingprogressive
-
is purportingprogressive
-
have been purportingperfect progressive
-
has been purportingperfect progressive
Past
-
purportedsimple
-
had purportedperfect
-
was purportingprogressive
-
were purportingprogressive
-
had been purportingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of purport
First recorded in 1375–1425; (verb) late Middle English purporten, from Anglo-French purporter “to mean, signify,” Old French porporter “to carry, convey,” equivalent to pur- pro- 1 + porter “to carry” (from Latin portāre ); (noun) late Middle English, from Anglo-French, derivative of the verb
Explanation
Use purport when you want to convince people about something that might not be true, like when you purport that the dog ate your homework. The verb purport can mean "to claim" — whether you mean it or not — or "to intend," like when you purport to study all night. So it makes sense that as a noun, purport means the intention or purpose, like the purport of a political candidate's speech was to get your vote. If the speech was long and hard to follow, you might be lucky just to get the purport, which here means "the main point or meaning."
Vocabulary lists containing purport
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
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Grade 12, List 1
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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:
"The government of Kenya cannot own my health data -- that's my private property. The government cannot purport to trade in my private property," he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Avoid those who purport to guarantee the IRS will pay.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
It’s only rational to be angered by someone who isn’t who they say they are, who doesn’t uphold the values they purport to champion.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
Nor did the Supreme Court in Kennedy purport to overturn every decision that relied on Lemon; to the contrary, it expressly acknowledged and distinguished several such cases as good law.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026
The series does not purport to be all-inclusive or the last word on class.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
The bill purports to end practices of questionable value, and the press announcement makes the bill out to be an effort at saving taxpayers money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The platform purports to be the first prediction market of its kind, pricing county and city wildfire risk in real time.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026
One hyper-realistic AI video circulating on Elon Musk's platform X purports to show the pair laughing and drinking wine at a restaurant, with a voiceover claiming "they are on a date."
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
One post on Facebook last week, for instance, purports to be written by historian Heather Cox Richardson.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
And how do I know she is what she purports to be?
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Tepache, a fermented Mexican pineapple beverage that has recently gone mass-market, is another drink with purported wellness benefits that include gut health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Its Wall of Receipts was a way of showing its purported savings in taxpayer money online.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
That distinction illustrates how Paoletta’s contribution is less about purported legal principles and more about legal authorities’ ability to operationalize the broader Vought agenda.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Not long before McCarthy’s speech, the purported Russian spy Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury and atomic physicist Klaus Fuchs was unmasked as a Russian spy embedded in the Los Alamos atomic bomb laboratory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Eisenhower had considerably exaggerated the scientists’ purported accomplishment.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
It specifies no tax periods or matters, purporting instead to resolve “any and all claims,” forever, before agencies it does not even name.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
She also worried about the legality of ads — such as one video purporting to be a Bass campaign ad — that put words in the mouth of computer-generated politicians.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
The 40-year-old unnamed man is accused of disrupting the search by creating and distributing a fake photo purporting to show Neukgu, the wolf, trotting down a road intersection.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
The company, which has been publishing analyses of the two carriers’ movements since at least last year, continued to post satellite imagery and maps purporting to show the warships’ locations since the Iran war began.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
It was unsigned, but there were several clear references which made it plain that Bunny Corcoran, or someone purporting to be him, was the author.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
