purse

[ purs ]

/ pɜrs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR purse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a woman's handbag or pocketbook.

a small bag, pouch, or case for carrying money.

anything resembling a purse in appearance, use, etc.

a sum of money offered as a prize or reward.

a sum of money collected as a present or the like.

money, resources, or wealth.

verb (used with object), pursed, purs·ing.

to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker: to purse one's lips.

to put into a purse.

Words nearby purse

purpuric, purpurin, purpurinuria, purr, purree, purse, purse crab, purse seine, purse strings, purse-proud, purse-seine

Origin of purse

before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English purs, blend of pusa bag (cognate with Old Norse posi) and Medieval Latin bursa bag (≪ Greek býrsa hide, leather); (v.) Middle English pursen to put in a purse, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM purse

purse·less, adjectivepurse·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH purse

briefcase handbag pocketbook purse valise wallet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for purse

On one summer lunch hour, Donna Ann Levonuk, 50, lifted a tub of diaper cream priced at $43.98—and then stashed it in her purse.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The padlocked door down the hall was now open, and I found my purse.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She retrieved a cigarette from her purse and lit it without moving her face away from the screen.
I Watched a Casino Kill Itself: The Awful Last Nights of Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal|Olivia Nuzzi|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These are longer than traditional ads, mini-stories, designed to pull at heart- as well as purse strings.
How Monty The Penguin Won Christmas: Britain’s Epic, Emotional Commercials|Tim Teeman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When I travel and kids run up to me, all that the girls want to do is look in my purse and put on my lip glosses and chapsticks.
Q&A With Designer Rachel Roy|Cynthia Allum|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He put the purse back, and covered it again with great care.
Wenderholme|Philip Gilbert Hamerton
And that's why you wanted to prove me a thief with this purse.
The Road to Damascus|August Strindberg
I had brought over a few curiosities, among which the principal was a purse made of the asbestos, which purifies by fire.
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin|Benjamin Franklin
It is occupied by one of his officers, who carries the purse and makes payments.
At the Point of the Bayonet|G. A. Henty
Arthur explained his hasty return by alleging he had forgot his purse at the convent.
Anne of Geierstein|Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for purse

purse

/ (pɜːs) /

noun

a small bag or pouch, often made of soft leather, for carrying money, esp coins

US and Canadian a woman's handbag

anything resembling a small bag or pouch in form or function

wealth; funds

a sum of money that is offered, esp as a prize

verb

(tr) to contract (the mouth, lips, etc) into a small rounded shape

Word Origin for purse

Old English purs, probably from Late Latin bursa bag, ultimately from Greek: leather

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with purse

purse

In addition to the idiom beginning with purse

purse strings

also see:

can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

purse

noun

verb (used with object), pursed, purs·ing.

Content related to purse

Words related to purse

Words nearby purse

Origin of purse

OTHER WORDS FROM purse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH purse

Examples from the Web for purse

British Dictionary definitions for purse

noun

verb

Word Origin for purse

Idioms and Phrases with purse