purse

American  

[purs] / pɜrs /

noun

purses plural

1. handbag.

2. Also called change purse.  a small bag, pouch, or case for carrying money.

3. anything resembling a purse in appearance, use, etc.

4. a sum of money offered as a prize or reward.

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

6. money, resources, or wealth.

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verb (used with object)

purses, present (3rd person singular) pursed, past participle, past pursing present participle

1. to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker.

   to purse one's lips.

2. to put into a purse.

purse British  

/ pɜːs /

noun

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

2. a woman's handbag

3. anything resembling a small bag or pouch in form or function

4. wealth; funds

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

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verb

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

purse Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing purse

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• purseless
  adjective
• purselike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• purses
  plural

Participles

• pursing
  present
• pursed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• purse
  simple
• purses
  simple
• have pursed
  perfect
• has pursed
  perfect
• am pursing
  progressive
• are pursing
  progressive
• is pursing
  progressive
• have been pursing
  perfect progressive
• has been pursing
  perfect progressive

Past

• pursed
  simple
• had pursed
  perfect
• was pursing
  progressive
• were pursing
  progressive
• had been pursing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will purse
  simple
• will have pursed
  perfect
• will be pursing
  progressive
• will have been pursing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of purse

First recorded before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English purs, blend of pusa “bag” (cognate with Old Norse posi ) and Medieval Latin bursa “bag” (ultimately from Greek býrsa “hide, leather”); (verb) Middle English pursen “to put in a purse,” derivative of the noun

Explanation

Though purses are mostly carried by women, this is the kind of purse anyone would love to bring home: it's a prize, usually consisting of money. The most common meaning of purse, as a woman's bag, can definitely help you remember the "prize" meaning of purse, because a woman who won a purse could carry her winnings in a purse. The non-bag type of purse is usually associated with sporting events: boxers and jockeys win purses. Other times, purse is used to describe money won in another context, like a photography contest. Another meaning is totally different: if you pucker or contract your lips, you're pursing them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purse purses pursed pursing

Maybe I should be looking for a purse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

"We all know the public purse is under some stress, so additional income is welcome," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

She pulls a hand-held camera from her purse, adjusts her soft curls, and applies a fresh coat of lip gloss.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Early doesn’t run like the Wayans brothers, dressed like women, trying to retrieve a stolen purse in “White Chicks.”

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

She grabs her purse from the hook by the door and peeks inside, shuffling through its contents.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Beneath this level, a "Challenger Series" will run concurrently with purses worth at least $4m.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

The politicians and soldiers made what the British call a “pig’s ear” of Colonial policy, but the painters show that defeat was also the material of silk purses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

An agreement is in place and both fighters are expected to earn career-high purses when they finally meet, with October or November the likely target dates.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

Later, explaining to his mom why he doesn’t have any friends his own age, Valdi purses his lips in a mimicry of the older men who would engulf him — a touchingly sad little detail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

Some were wallets she had decorated with shiny candy wrappers; others were sequined purses she had found.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

There were sunglasses, silly expressions and pursed selfie faces in the mirror.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

Windsor, wearing a grey sweatshirt, sighed and pursed his lips in the dock as the verdicts were announced.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025

The retired aerospace engineer, who lives in Sierra Madre, did about four reps before his teeth clenched, his legs trembled and he let out short puffs of air through pursed lips.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2024

You've got the thing up your nose and the pursed lips breathing.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024

Zafoona looked away from them and pursed her quivering lips.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Big tech firms are spending vast amounts of money pursing these goals.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2025

Using her design skills — they met in New York City when she was attending Parsons School of Design and he was pursing comedy — Beame Martin led a rebuild of the studio-turned-gallery.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2025

Enter the anti-wrinkle straw, shaped like the number 7, with a small hole at the top horizontal portion that allows users to drink without pursing their lips.

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

Officials are pursing merging Washington’s carbon-pricing market with another operated by California and Quebec.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

Moss watched his mother start to say something, but she shut her mouth, pursing her lips.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Related Words

• bag
• handbag
• pocket
• pocketbook
• pouch
• wallet