as in to restore
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially
a day on which the faithful are expected to purge themselves of their sins through prayer and fasting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purge
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was quickly met with sharp questions and criticism Tuesday by lawmakers who pressed him about his early moves to deploy troops to Los Angeles, fire key military leaders and purge diversity programs.
—
Tara Copp, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Hegseth has posted numerous videos of his morning workouts with troops or of himself signing directives to purge diversity and equity programs and online content from the military.
—Lolita C. Baldor, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Silicon Valley leaders and tech workers better track Donald Trump’s campaign to purge international students across the nation from Harvard University to UC Berkeley.
—Bruce Fuller, Mercury News, 7 June 2025
The Trump administration has made some moves to purge IRS officials who appear out of step with its agenda.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purge
Tara Copp, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Hegseth has posted numerous videos of his morning workouts with troops or of himself signing directives to purge diversity and equity programs and online content from the military.
—Lolita C. Baldor, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Silicon Valley leaders and tech workers better track Donald Trump’s campaign to purge international students across the nation from Harvard University to UC Berkeley.
—Bruce Fuller, Mercury News, 7 June 2025
The Trump administration has made some moves to purge IRS officials who appear out of step with its agenda.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purge
Verb
-
From restoring elasticity to quenching dryness and nourishing the skin with essential vitamins and minerals, the best body oils can make everything below the neck supple, satiny, and ready to shine.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
28 June 2025
-
The supplementation of vitamin B12 and iron helps restore the most common deficiencies in AG.—
Sayaka Blickenderfer,
Health,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Cycling, too, has made changes to cleanse a reputation sullied by the likes of Lance Armstrong.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
-
Apply it to one section at a time and use a small, damp cloth to cleanse.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
Biogas’s new plant, called Hidden Hollow Energy, purifies the gas coming out of the landfill and turns it into fuel for buses, trucks and other large vehicles, Tryon said.—
Sarah Cutler
June 26,
Idaho Statesman,
26 June 2025
-
The ore is purified, dissolved in hot acid and converted into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), a gaseous compound.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Regardless of who emerged from Tuesday’s runoff, the seating of a new councilmember promised to help heal the distrust and wounds opened up by scandals that had shrouded the District 3 office.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
-
Our programmatic work is designed to heal whole communities.—
Asha Bandele,
Essence,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purge. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share