purview

American  

[pur-vyoo] / ˈpɜr vyu /

noun

1. the range of operation, authority, control, concern, etc.

   Synonyms:

   extent, compass, responsibility, scope

2. the range of vision, insight, or understanding.

3. Law.

   1. that which is provided or enacted in a statute, as distinguished from the preamble.

   2. the purpose or scope of a statute.

4. the full scope or compass of any document, statement, subject, book, etc.

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purview British  

/ ˈpɜːvjuː /

noun

1. the scope of operation or concern of something

2. the breadth or range of outlook or understanding

3. law the body of a statute, containing the enacting clauses

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Etymology

Origin of purview

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English purveu, from Anglo-French: past participle of purveier “to furnish or supply”; see origin at purvey

Explanation

The range or scope of something is its purview. If you are a professional race car driver, performing surgery is way outside your purview. Anything inside a range of interest or activity is within a purview. A supervisor is in charge of certain workers — other workers are outside her purview. The surgeon general deals with medical issues: the defense budget is outside his purview. When a business expands, it's trying to increase its purview. If you go to the dentist and ask her to paint a picture of your tooth rather than extracting it, you're likely to discover you've gone way beyond her purview.

Example Sentences

For decades, these funds were the purview of large investors and institutions, including pension funds, university endowments, family offices and sovereign-wealth funds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

OpenAI is making other changes to its executive team, handing former Slack executive and revenue chief Denise Dresser commercial responsibilities that were previously the purview of operating chief Brad Lightcap.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“Whats going on with mycareer” has also extended beyond my personal purview and into my consideration of other people’s careers, too.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

His purview includes Disney’s theme parks, famed Imagineering division, merchandise, cruise line, as well as the Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

A fuller description of all the names and contributors lies outside the purview of this book.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• confines
• domain