purpose
Americannoun
-
the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
-
determination; resoluteness.
-
the subject in hand; the point at issue.
-
practical result, effect, or advantage.
to act to good purpose.
verb (used with object)
-
to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.
-
to intend; design.
- Synonyms:
- plan, contemplate, mean
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to resolve (to do something).
He purposed to change his way of life radically.
verb (used without object)
idioms
-
on purpose, by design; intentionally.
How could you do such a thing on purpose?
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to the purpose, relevant; to the point.
Her objections were not to the purpose.
noun
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the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists
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a fixed design, outcome, or idea that is the object of an action or other effort
-
fixed intention in doing something; determination
a man of purpose
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practical advantage or use
to work to good purpose
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that which is relevant or under consideration (esp in the phrase to or from the purpose )
-
archaic purport
-
intentionally
verb
Related Words
See intention.
Other Word Forms
- prepurpose verb (used with object)
- repurpose verb (used with object)
- unpurposed adjective
- unpurposing adjective
Etymology
Origin of purpose
First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English purpos, from Old French, derivative of purposer, variant of proposer “to propose ”; (verb) Middle English purposen, from Anglo-French, Old French purposer
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 UN has been in talks with Washington to allow fuel in for humanitarian purposes.
From Barron's
"All ships and aircraft enjoy the right of transit passage... for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit of the strait," it states.
From Barron's
While high-dimensional vectors can be compressed through vector quantization, that technique comes with its own memory issues as it requires calculating and storing additional data, “partially defeating the purpose of vector quantization,” Google said.
From MarketWatch
It may have been on Ahmed’s mind here — Shah claims high purpose for his Bondean aspirations, that he wants “to show them that this too is what British looks like.”
From Los Angeles Times
The story shows that people can endure the heartbreak of losing a loved one and even their homeland, yet still discover new love, renewed purpose and hope.
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.
