definitions

purse

[ purs ]
/ pɜrs /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR purse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

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RELATED WORDS

pocketbook, pocket, wallet, bag, handbag, pouch, money, reward, prize, gift, wealth, pucker, poke, hide, leather, clutch, frame, sack, receptacle, bursa

Nearby words

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

Related forms

purse·less, adjectivepurse·like, adjective

Can be confused

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

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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.