purport

American  

[per-pawrt, -pohrt, pur-pawrt, -pohrt, pur-pawrt, -pohrt] / pərˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt, ˈpɜr pɔrt, -poʊrt, ˈpɜr pɔrt, -poʊrt /

verb (used with object)

1. to present, especially deliberately, the appearance of being; profess or claim, often falsely.

   a document purporting to be official.

2. to convey to the mind as the meaning or thing intended; express or imply.

   Synonyms:

   signify , intend , mean

---

noun

1. the meaning, import, or sense.

   the main purport of your letter.

   Synonyms:

   gist , trend , drift , implication

2. purpose; intention; object.

   the main purport of their visit to France.

purport British  

verb

1. to claim (to be a certain thing, etc) by manner or appearance, esp falsely

2. (esp of speech or writing) to signify or imply

---

noun

1. meaning; significance

2. purpose; object; intention

Related Words

See meaning.

Other Word Forms

• purportless adjective

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

Example Sentences

The purported weapons used in some of the cases have only fueled skepticism: A District of Columbia man was charged for throwing a Subway sandwich.

From Los Angeles Times

The movie purports to dip into the deep well of Shakespearean magnificence but emerges only with a ladle full of greasy schmaltz.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pictures purporting to show him with such a weapon actually show him carrying a "camera tripod", he said.

From BBC

He wrote what he thought “each speaker is most likely to have needed to say” within “the overall purport of the speech as actually delivered.”

From The Wall Street Journal

When England toured Australia later that year, captain Ivo Bligh was given a small terracotta urn purported to contain the ashes of a burnt wooden bail.

From Barron's

Related Words

• imply
• pose as
• pretend
• profess