purpose
Americannoun
-
purposes
plural
-
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
-
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?
-
to the purpose, relevant; to the point.
Her objections were not to the purpose.
noun
-
the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists
-
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
-
practical advantage or use
to work to good purpose
-
that which is relevant or under consideration (esp in the phrase to or from the purpose )
-
archaic purport
-
intentionally
verb
Synonym Usage
See intention.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
prepurposeverb (used with object)
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repurposeverb (used with object)
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unpurposedadjective
-
unpurposingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Explanation
When you do something with purpose, you do it with determination. When your activities have a purpose, you have an aim or intention in mind. This noun also has a third meaning: "function, role, or use." The purpose of a fork, for instance, is to spear and scoop food from your plate, not to poke your little brother at the dinner table. Purpose can also be used as a verb meaning "to reach a decision" or "to intend," though these uses of the word are quite a bit less frequent nowadays.
Vocabulary lists containing purpose
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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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.
See Examples For:
Rather than creating an entirely new system, evolution may have given an existing pathway an additional purpose.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
The sole purpose of fashion, one could argue, is to impose social conformity.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
A university with such a wretched purpose, the court said, lacked the charitable character necessary for federal tax exemption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
"We joke sometimes that Karl doesn't love walking. But he loves the mission. He loves the passion, the purpose."
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
There was even a type of speech called the filibuster, whose sole purpose was to waste time.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
This principle is especially important when working with nanoparticles, which are extremely small pieces of matter whose shapes, sizes, and properties can be adjusted for different purposes.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
“I was trying to get people that, frankly, let’s say that I didn’t get along with. But for the purposes of the party I went along with it,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Over time, the table served purposes well beyond playing pool.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Oracle said it would use the proceeds from the sales for general corporate purposes, which it said could include capital expenditures, debt repayment, dividends and future investments or acquisitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
I provided an exegesis, not as brief as it might have been, of why at the moment I found the college satisfactory for my purposes.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
QCi said Monday that the foundry, “currently purposed for research and development and prototyping,” had begun to generate early revenue, though contributions weren’t broken out in the report.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
If the purposed minimum pay rate does go through, it'll be the first of its kind nationwide.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2023
“I stood next to the job for four years. I purposed to be ready every day for four years,” Pence said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
“There are no awards. There are no winners or losers tonight. It’s just our passion that makes our heart beat faster. It makes our life so much more greatly purposed with joy and fulfillment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2023
I do not know how, purposed with so high & noble Aims, we end thus in Ruin.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
As ProPublica detailed in 2016, several state court systems have adopted a proprietary software that purports to put a probability on recidivism for sentencing purposing.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2021
I read with my watch upon the table, purposing to close my book at eleven o’clock.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
She set out to keep her appointment with an hour to spare, purposing to employ the interval by running, at leisure, the gauntlet of masculine admiration on Broadway as far south as Thirty-eighth Street.
From Joan Thursday by Louis Joseph Vance
Mr. ah—Brockway; I understand that you are purposing to take the party to ah—Feather Plume or ah—Silver Feather, or some such place to-day, and I ah—protest!
From A Romance in Transit by Francis Lynde
He put his arms about her with a strange spasm of heart relenting, realizing for a moment the wrong he was purposing to commit.
From Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences by Daughters of the American Revolution. Nebraska
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