on purpose
Idioms-
Deliberately, intentionally, as in He left the photo out of the story on purpose . Shakespeare's use of this idiom was among the earliest; it appears in The Comedy of Errors (4:3): “On purpose shut the doors against his way.”
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accidentally on purpose . Seemingly accidentally but actually deliberately, as in She stepped on his foot accidentally on purpose . This generally jocular phrase was first recorded in 1862.
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.
A good plan uses that shape on purpose.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Is the MOU’s broad interpretation done on purpose to leave flexibility for more in-depth negotiations?
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Venegas is now adding her voice to this shared-but-fractured written history; albeit, not entirely on purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
“All the conveyor belts are broken,” said Suzy Welch, a management professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, at a recent symposium on purpose and flourishing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
That also means Mom took a taxi home from the airport on purpose, just to avoid the FBI.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
