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
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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 )
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archaic purport
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intentionally
verb
Related Words
See intention.
Other Word Forms
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.
Over the first two installments, titled "act i: VISION" and "act ii: PURPOSE," Coodie establishes himself as the mostly unseen narrator invited by the rapper to bear witness to his journey.
From Salon • Feb. 16, 2022
Its FUNCTIONS—telephone emulation, camera emulation, video-game-console emulation, espionage-tracking-device emulation—would be added to reinforce its PURPOSE.
From Slate • Oct. 6, 2011
"Do you mean to tell me that you ran into me ON PURPOSE?"
From The Tale of Freddie Firefly by Bailey, Arthur Scott
Let me darkly observe, it was the best of all nights—FOR THE PURPOSE.
From Somebody's Luggage by Dickens, Charles
It is a literal rather than a poetic translation: HE IS THE PURPOSE!
From Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas by `Abdu'l-Bahá
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.
