purview
Americannoun
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the range of operation, authority, control, concern, etc.
- Synonyms:
- extent, compass, responsibility, scope
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the range of vision, insight, or understanding.
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Law.
-
that which is provided or enacted in a statute, as distinguished from the preamble.
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the purpose or scope of a statute.
-
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the full scope or compass of any document, statement, subject, book, etc.
noun
-
the scope of operation or concern of something
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the breadth or range of outlook or understanding
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law the body of a statute, containing the enacting clauses
Etymology
Origin of purview
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English purveu, from Anglo-French: past participle of purveier “to furnish or supply”; see origin at purvey
Explanation
The range or scope of something is its purview. If you are a professional race car driver, performing surgery is way outside your purview. Anything inside a range of interest or activity is within a purview. A supervisor is in charge of certain workers — other workers are outside her purview. The surgeon general deals with medical issues: the defense budget is outside his purview. When a business expands, it's trying to increase its purview. If you go to the dentist and ask her to paint a picture of your tooth rather than extracting it, you're likely to discover you've gone way beyond her purview.
Vocabulary lists containing purview
Common Senses: Vid, Vis ("See")
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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.
The contracts the Chronicle obtained provide broad categories of responsibility that fall under a host city’s purview — security, transportation and retrofitting stadiums, among them.
From Salon • Apr. 30, 2026
It also stipulates, Nasr said, that if towns are captured, the urban centres will be administered primarily by the FLA, while rural zones will be the purview of the jihadists.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
“Discovery and invention remain the purview of the human mind and creative human genius,” Stassun said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026
For decades, these funds were the purview of large investors and institutions, including pension funds, university endowments, family offices and sovereign-wealth funds.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Verifying that claim is beyond the purview of this book.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
