purchase

American  

[pur-chuhs] / ˈpɜr tʃəs /

verb (used with object)

• purchases,
  present (3rd person singular)
• purchased,
  past participle,  past
• purchasing
  present participle

1. to acquire by the payment of money or its equivalent; buy.

   Synonyms:

   procure, obtain, get

   Antonyms:

   sell

2. to acquire by effort, sacrifice, flattery, etc.

3. to influence by a bribe.

4. to be sufficient to buy.

   Twenty dollars purchases a subscription.

5. Law. to acquire (land or other property) by means other than inheritance.

6. to move, haul, or raise, especially by applying mechanical power.

7. to get a leverage on; apply a lever, pulley, or other aid to.

8. Obsolete. to procure, acquire, or obtain.

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verb (used without object)

• purchases,
  present (3rd person singular)
• purchased,
  past participle,  past
• purchasing
  present participle

1. to buy something.

noun

• purchases
  plural

1. acquisition by the payment of money or its equivalent; buying, or a single act of buying.

2. something that is purchased or bought.

3. something purchased, with respect to value in relation to price; buy.

   At three for a dollar they seemed like a good purchase.

4. Law. the acquisition of land or other property by means other than inheritance.

5. acquisition by means of effort, labor, etc..

   the purchase of comfort at the price of freedom.

6. a lever, pulley, or other device that provides mechanical advantage or power for moving or raising a heavy object.

   Synonyms:

   capstan, winch

7. an effective hold or position for applying power in moving or raising a heavy object; leverage.

8. any means of applying or increasing power, influence, etc.

9. the annual return or rent from land.

10. a firm grip or grasp, footing, etc., on something.

11. Obsolete. booty.

purchase British  

/ ˈpɜːtʃɪs /

verb

1. to obtain (goods, etc) by payment

2. to obtain by effort, sacrifice, etc

   to purchase one's freedom

3. to draw, haul, or lift (a load) with the aid of mechanical apparatus

4. to acquire (an estate) other than by inheritance

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noun

1. something that is purchased, esp an article bought with money

2. the act of buying

3. acquisition of an estate by any lawful means other than inheritance

4. a rough measure of the mechanical advantage achieved by a lever

5. a firm foothold, grasp, etc, as for climbing or levering something

6. a means of achieving some influence, advantage, etc

Synonym Usage

See buy.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpurchase
  noun
• nonpurchaser
  noun
• prepurchase
  noun
• prepurchaser
  noun
• purchaser
  noun
• mispurchase
  verb (used with object)
• overpurchase
  verb (used with object)
• quasi-purchased
  adjective
• unpurchased
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• purchases
  plural

Participles

• purchasing
  present
• purchased
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• purchase
  simple
• purchases
  simple
• have purchased
  perfect
• has purchased
  perfect
• am purchasing
  progressive
• are purchasing
  progressive
• is purchasing
  progressive
• have been purchasing
  perfect progressive
• has been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Past

• purchased
  simple
• had purchased
  perfect
• was purchasing
  progressive
• were purchasing
  progressive
• had been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will purchase
  simple
• will have purchased
  perfect
• will be purchasing
  progressive
• will have been purchasing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of purchase

First recorded before 1150; (for the verb) Middle English purchasen, from Anglo-French purchacer “to seek to obtain, procure,” from pur- (from Latin prō pro ¹ ) + chacer “to chase” ( see chase ¹); noun derivative of the verb

Explanation

When you purchase a pair of shoes, you buy them. If you want to gain purchase, or favor, with new friends, you might tell them about your recent purchase of chocolate, and offer to share. Purchase can refer to the act of buying or the thing you bought. In 1803, the United States paid France approximately $15,000,000 for 800,000 acres of land which was called Louisiana, in a transaction known as the Louisiana Purchase. In this transaction, the purchase nearly doubled the size of the U.S. — the territory purchased comprises about 23 percent of current U.S. land.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purchase purchases purchased purchasing

Some are cutting prices while others roll out more deals in hopes that budget-conscious consumers will make a purchase.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

As for the Isle of Gigha, that is now in the safe hands of its residents – who crowdfunded £4m to purchase it in 2002 and take control of their own destiny.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

His largest purchase was a £124,500 motorhome which he kitted out with luxury extras and top-of-the-range toiletries.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Apple also announced a new monthly leasing program called Apple Upgrade, which lets customers pay off their purchase over one or two years.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Fischer learned when the new copies would arrive each month, and within a day or two of their appearance he’d be at the Four Continents to purchase the latest edition.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Roblox is forecasting a 14 percent to 18 percent drop in overall purchases made by players in the current quarter, and its share price has lost more than two-thirds of its value since its high.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

She can then control the intervals and make sure she has cash for large purchases if she wants it.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Admittedly, it is highly uncertain how long the bigger purchases will be sustained and it is possible the size of operations could even be increased further going forward,” Hardman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Primark did not sell goods online until 2022, when it launched a click-and-collect service which meant shoppers still had to travel to pick up their purchases.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

We pause just outside the entrance, our purchases and slushies in hand.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

The team at CR purchased samples of a variety of lunchbox foods—everything from Takis to oat bars—and tested them for several chemicals that they described as contaminants.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

The city purchased the 20-acre tract of land over 10 years ago and originally planned to build government facilities there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

You pay ordinary income tax on the cost basis — that is, the amount you paid when you first purchased the stock — in the year you take the distribution.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Passengers who post about their trips on social media say there is no onboard entertainment or alcohol, and tickets have to be purchased in cash instead of international credit or debit cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Jennings resided at 1804 L Street, while his daughter, Frances, and her two sons lived next door, where he later purchased a second home.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

The Warren County, N.J., resident said she would have preferred to try them on before purchasing, but a nearby Lane Bryant store had closed a few years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The surge in crude prices has lifted gasoline and diesel prices, adding to inflationary pressure from higher energy costs and threatening to reduce the purchasing power of consumers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

The rial has plunged to record lows, reaching around 2.2 million to the US dollar in recent days, while year-on-year inflation hit 89 percent for the Iranian month ending August 22, sharply eroding purchasing power.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Eastern, and the Institute of Supply Management’s services purchasing managers’ index for August at 10 a.m.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

The day he learned that he was terminally ill was the day he lost interest in his purchasing power.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

Related Words

• acquire
• earn
• invest
• pick up
• procure
• redeem
• shop
• take