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.
The book ends with a trial to determine whether she did so on purpose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
You don’t warm up to Carol at the beginning, and it’s on purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Decades earlier, Nasa launched objects into the Moon on purpose, in order to collect data for the Apollo missions.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
A good plan uses that shape on purpose.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
“What do you mean? That I didn’t come over on purpose or something?”
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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.
