purse
Americannoun
-
purses
plural
-
Also called change purse. 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)
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purses,
present (3rd person singular)
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pursed,
past participle, past
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pursing
present participle
-
to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker.
to purse one's lips.
-
to put into a purse.
noun
-
a small bag or pouch, often made of soft leather, for carrying money, esp coins
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pursesimple
-
pursessimple
-
have pursedperfect
-
has pursedperfect
-
am pursingprogressive
-
are pursingprogressive
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is pursingprogressive
-
have been pursingperfect progressive
-
has been pursingperfect progressive
Past
-
pursedsimple
-
had pursedperfect
-
was pursingprogressive
-
were pursingprogressive
-
had been pursingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing purse
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Most of these vessels are purse seiners or trawlers, which deploy vast nets to capture dense schools of fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
"My hair, my makeup, my shoes, my jewellery, my purse, my gloves, everything. And just from creating that exterior for me, he gave me the sense of a spy lady."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
There is no glove box—and thus no place to keep the enormous owner’s manual, except in the concealed stowage under the console, where I would normally put my purse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Want me to carry your purse for you?” he ribbed.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
She opened her bulging coin purse, showing her black dollars and large colorful coins.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Now swarms scour vintage stores hunting for Coach purses, Champion sweatshirts and Ralph Lauren pullovers popular in the 1990s, as well as vintage Levi’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
"We hope that by putting this extraordinary bird into millions of pockets and purses, we can spark a nationwide conversation about a species at real risk of vanishing from Britain forever."
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
That doesn’t mean these particular investments are ones to match right now for investors with shorter time horizons and far lighter purses.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
By comparison, most of the bags at Coach and Ralph Lauren are priced below $1,000, although some of Ralph Lauren’s purses sell for $20,000 or more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
They reached into their own threadbare purses when the schoolroom kitty fell short.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
The visit has the heavy air of obligation — they don’t see Dad very often — and when he clumsily welcomes them into his ramshackle house, pregnant pauses and pursed lips ensue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025
In the current, so-called third design generation, the hood slopes down to form the stiff upper lip of a mouth pursed with purpose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2025
Her lips, coated in a nude lipstick, are pursed just enough to achieve the perfect pout.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2025
Their foreheads were pressed together, their eyes were shut, their hands clasped; her lips were ever-so-slightly pursed, his forehead was wrinkled in concentration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2025
It learned that when Uncle Kufa pursed his lips as he was eating, he was angry at Aunt Chipo.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
The fact it's his daughter pursing the sporting path is irrelevant to him.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025
Sherman also mimics Wood’s voice and facial expressions on “White Lotus,” widening her eyes and pursing her lips behind those very prominent front teeth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 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
Lowe said police are pursing all possibilities in the disappearance.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
Sometimes Wealtheow would tip back her head, letting her copper-red hair fall free, and laugh; sometimes she listened, head cocked, now smiling, now soberly pursing her lips, only offering a nod.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
