purpose
Americannoun
-
purposes
plural
-
the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
-
determination; resoluteness.
-
the subject in hand; the point at issue.
-
practical result, effect, or advantage.
to act to good purpose.
verb (used with object)
-
to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.
-
to intend; design.
- Synonyms:
- plan, contemplate, mean
-
to resolve (to do something).
He purposed to change his way of life radically.
verb (used without object)
idioms
-
on purpose, by design; intentionally.
How could you do such a thing on purpose?
-
to the purpose, relevant; to the point.
Her objections were not to the purpose.
noun
-
the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists
-
a fixed design, outcome, or idea that is the object of an action or other effort
-
fixed intention in doing something; determination
a man of purpose
-
practical advantage or use
to work to good purpose
-
that which is relevant or under consideration (esp in the phrase to or from the purpose )
-
archaic purport
-
intentionally
verb
Synonym Usage
See intention.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
prepurposeverb (used with object)
-
repurposeverb (used with object)
-
unpurposedadjective
-
unpurposingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of purpose
First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English purpos, from Old French, derivative of purposer, variant of proposer “to propose ”; (verb) Middle English purposen, from Anglo-French, Old French purposer
Explanation
When you do something with purpose, you do it with determination. When your activities have a purpose, you have an aim or intention in mind. This noun also has a third meaning: "function, role, or use." The purpose of a fork, for instance, is to spear and scoop food from your plate, not to poke your little brother at the dinner table. Purpose can also be used as a verb meaning "to reach a decision" or "to intend," though these uses of the word are quite a bit less frequent nowadays.
Vocabulary lists containing purpose
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 primary purpose of the study was to determine whether adding paricalcitol to chemotherapy was safe.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
The UAE has begun investigating whether the "incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose", according to the country's state news agency.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
“Just marches are not enough because it’s kind of easy to ignore those. But when it’s a march with a purpose and calling out big corporations, it has more impact.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
For swarm chasers, chasing rogue AI swarms serves a purpose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
When she reopened them, she seemed filled with fresh purpose.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Gabriel's real name is Joseph Junior Andreou O'Cearuill - but he is reported to have changed his name for commercial purposes.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
For our purposes, cook your soup until it’s essentially done.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
“Building refineries for export purposes only works in places that have incredibly low crude costs. In other words, the Middle East,” York said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Funds could not be used for legal or defense purposes or to repay personal loans, nor could they be pulled from education, transportation or public safety buckets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
She could say “Chip, please,” “No way,” and “You rock,” when it served her purposes.
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
QCi said Monday that the foundry, “currently purposed for research and development and prototyping,” had begun to generate early revenue, though contributions weren’t broken out in the report.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
The deal with Activision also means Microsoft will own its studio solely purposed for mobile games, with hopes of expanding on the successes of titles such as Candy Crush.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2023
If the purposed minimum pay rate does go through, it'll be the first of its kind nationwide.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2023
“I stood next to the job for four years. I purposed to be ready every day for four years,” Pence said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
I do not know how, purposed with so high & noble Aims, we end thus in Ruin.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
As ProPublica detailed in 2016, several state court systems have adopted a proprietary software that purports to put a probability on recidivism for sentencing purposing.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2021
I read with my watch upon the table, purposing to close my book at eleven o’clock.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
I was already aware, from the altered motion of the vessel, that her course had been changed, and could not doubt that the mutineers were purposing to sail back to the island we had quitted.
From Palm Tree Island by Herbert Strang
He was of stronger build than his master, and at once grabbed Thomas by the collar, purposing to turn him out.
From The Life of Thomas Wanless, Peasant by Alexander Johnstone Wilson
Mr. ah—Brockway; I understand that you are purposing to take the party to ah—Feather Plume or ah—Silver Feather, or some such place to-day, and I ah—protest!
From A Romance in Transit by Francis Lynde
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.
