purpose
Americannoun
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the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
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determination; resoluteness.
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the subject in hand; the point at issue.
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practical result, effect, or advantage.
to act to good purpose.
verb (used with object)
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to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.
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to intend; design.
- Synonyms:
- plan, contemplate, mean
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to resolve (to do something).
He purposed to change his way of life radically.
verb (used without object)
idioms
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on purpose, by design; intentionally.
How could you do such a thing on purpose?
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to the purpose, relevant; to the point.
Her objections were not to the purpose.
noun
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the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists
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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
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practical advantage or use
to work to good purpose
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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
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prepurposeverb (used with object)
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repurposeverb (used with object)
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unpurposedadjective
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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
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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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:
And AI is forcing us all to ponder: What are we supposed to do with our elongated lives if technology wipes out the jobs that once gave us purpose?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Its true purpose only became clear after scientists recently carried out a more detailed examination of objects recovered from the site.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Instead of treating it as waste, they recognized its value and saved it for a specialized purpose.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
My purpose is to put a name to the joy I felt last week, testing the Lotus Emira 420 Sport at the company’s test track in the East Anglia region of England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
I mean, I’m mad, but I know he didn’t do it on purpose.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
They wanted to prevent arts money from being raided for other purposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Those companies and others are looking to deploy scores of satellites for communications, military purposes and potentially even artificial-intelligence computing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But there’s no constitutional roadblock to anti-vote-betting laws, and they can serve some salutary purposes.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Matthew Torbitt claimed for rail tickets and accommodation that were "not for Parliamentary purposes"
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Actually, realism is exceptional in the history of art and is not even necessary to its purposes.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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
“There are no awards. There are no winners or losers tonight. It’s just our passion that makes our heartbeat faster. It makes our life so much more greatly purposed with joy and fulfillment.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 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
Still he would not absolutely recede from his engagements; but purposing to gain time, he demanded of Manfred if it was true in fact that Hippolita consented to the divorce.
From Shorter Novels, Eighteenth Century The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia; The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic Story; Vathek, an Arabian Tale by Beckford, William
Having satisfied ourselves with the peninsula of Gower, we entered upon a zigzag excursion, round the coast of South-Wales, to its northern boundary, purposing to return to Swansea by a midland route.
From A Tour throughout South Wales and Monmouthshire by Barber, J. T.
He has a line over the side, but seems to be heading out to sea, as though purposing to cross the ocean itself.
From The Red Derelict by Mitford, Bertram
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.
