purse strings

See synonyms for purse strings on Thesaurus.com
plural noun
  1. the right or power to manage the disposition of money: in control of the family purse strings.

Idioms about purse strings

  1. hold the purse strings, to have the power to determine how money shall be spent.

  2. loosen / tighten the purse strings, to increase or decrease expenditures or the availability of money: The budget committee is in the process of tightening the purse strings.

Origin of purse strings

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Words Nearby purse strings

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use purse strings in a sentence

  • He was a magnificent paymaster to his sneaks; and bound them to him with the strongest of all ties—his purse-strings.

  • "It would take more than a gallon of rum to make old Cameron loosen his purse strings," she remembered having heard Conal say.

    The Pioneers | Katharine Susannah Prichard
  • I should have to coax my parents into loosening their purse-strings, and get them to buy me a beautiful new jacket.

  • The only one that could be called so was Don Pedro Miranda, and he would rather have a tooth drawn than loosen his purse-strings.

    The Fourth Estate, vol. 2 | Armando Palacio Valds
  • The young voevoda whom the people loved had the art of opening purse-strings as well as of forcing strongholds.

British Dictionary definitions for purse strings

purse strings

pl n
  1. control of finance or expenditure (esp in such phrases as hold or control the purse strings)

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with purse strings

purse strings

Financial resources or control of them, as in His mother doesn't want to let go of the purse strings because he may make some foolish investments. This expression is often extended to hold or tighten or loosen the purse strings, as in As long as Dad holds the purse strings, we have to consider his wishes, or The company is tightening the purse strings and will not be hiring many new people this year. The purse strings in this idiom are the means of opening and closing a drawstring purse. [Early 1400s]

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