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)
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to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.
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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
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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.
It barred WhatsApp from sharing user data with Meta entities for five years and directed the company to clearly specify the purposes of data sharing in its privacy policy.
From BBC
It clearly says "for research purposes only" on the label wrapped around the jar.
From BBC
If the home is inherited, its value for tax purposes resets to its market price on the date of death.
As people lose their jobs, “we’re going to have to help people holistically find purpose and to let them know it’s OK, and it’s not your fault, and it’s not your boss’s fault.”
But it requires a lot of nuance to differentiate between a distillation attack and a company using an AI model for legitimate purposes, he added.
From MarketWatch
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.
