purport
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
the meaning, import, or sense.
the main purport of your letter.
- Synonyms:
- gist, trend, drift, implication
-
purpose; intention; object.
the main purport of their visit to France.
verb
-
to claim (to be a certain thing, etc) by manner or appearance, esp falsely
-
(esp of speech or writing) to signify or imply
noun
-
meaning; significance
-
purpose; object; intention
Related Words
See meaning.
Other Word Forms
- purportless adjective
Etymology
Origin of purport
First recorded in 1375–1425; (verb) late Middle English purporten, from Anglo-French purporter “to mean, signify,” Old French porporter “to carry, convey,” equivalent to pur- pro- 1 + porter “to carry” (from Latin portāre ); (noun) late Middle English, from Anglo-French, derivative of the verb
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.
It purported to be from a barristers' chambers called 7BR, which told the BBC it had "reported this incident to the police on the basis that someone appears to have fraudulently misused the 7BR letterhead".
From BBC
Their Spiritualist friend, Justice John Edmonds, who had been forced to retire from New York’s Supreme Court due to his beliefs, delivered a eulogy, “purported to come from the spirit world.”
From Literature
It wasn’t clear who is behind the page, or why they were using artificial intelligence while purporting to spotlight real animals in need.
From Los Angeles Times
Dozens of grainy infrared videos, captured by military aircraft, have surfaced over the years purporting to show unexplainable—possibly extraterrestrial—phenomena.
It is one of a wave of deepfakes showing often absurd scenes of urban decline, and regularly purporting to be in the same south London neighbourhood.
From BBC
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.
