purse

[ purs ]
/ pɜrs /
SEE 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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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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

Words nearby purse

purpuric, purpurin, purpurinuria, purr, purree, purse, purse crab, purse seine, purse strings, purse-proud, purse-seine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to purse

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

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