purport

1 of 2

verb

pur·​port (ˌ)pər-ˈpȯrt 

purported; purporting; purports

transitive verb

1

: to have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming (something implied or inferred)

a book that purports to be an objective analysis

also : claim

foreign novels which he purports to have translated

—Mary McCarthy

2

: intend, purpose

purport

2 of 2

noun

pur·​port ˈpər-ˌpȯrt 

: meaning conveyed, professed, or implied : import

also : substance, gist

Did you know?

The verb purport may be more familiar nowadays, but purport exists as a noun that passed into English from Anglo-French in the 15th century as a synonym of gist. Sir Walter Scott provides us with an example from his 19th-century novel Rob Roy: "I was a good deal mortified at the purport of this letter." Anglo-French also has the verb purporter (meaning both "to carry" and "to mean"), which combines the prefix pur- ("thoroughly") and the verb porter ("to carry"). In its original English use, the verb purport meant "to signify"; the "to profess or claim" sense familiar to modern English speakers didn't appear until the 17th century.

Synonyms

Verb

• aim
• allow [chiefly Southern & Midland]
• aspire
• calculate
• contemplate
• design
• go [chiefly Southern & Midland]
• intend
• look
• mean
• meditate
• plan
• propose
• purpose

Noun

• content
• denotation
• drift
• import
• intent
• intention
• meaning
• sense
• significance
• signification

Examples of purport in a Sentence

Verb

do you purport to spend the rest of your life on that couch, or do you think you might get a job someday?

he purports to be an expert in criminalistics

Noun

the purport of the book

The letter was not read aloud, but all present were informed of its purport.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And then there are transdermal patches that purport to deliver nutrients or other forms of sustenance (say, aromatherapy) by being affixed to the skin. —Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2024

Two of the tests didn’t find an improvement in either group, but the third, which purports to measure how fast people age, did show a difference in the dieters. —Dana G. Smith Dana G. Smith, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024

The suspect – identified as a 51-year-old San Jose woman – wrote approximately 45 fraudulent checks to herself totaling more than $400,000, Shih said, adding that the checks were purported to be reimbursement for services that were not rendered. —Jason Green, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024

Loudspeakers informed customers of the strike at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, online videos purported to show. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024

The channel, which has been active for over one year, has created dozens of fake movie trailers in recent months, including videos that purport to show a third Top Gun movie, a new Spider-Man film starring Andrew Garfield and a fake teaser for a fourth Back to the Future movie, among others. —Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024

Some purport to be from open-source intelligence researchers or citizen journalists. —Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024

In the fall, videos of military conflict, purporting to be from Gaza, began circulating on social media. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

Videos purported to show armed takeovers at metro stops, universities, hospitals and other key facilities across the country. —Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, content, tenor, from purporter to carry, mean, purport, from pur- thoroughly + porter to carry — more at purchase entry 1, port

First Known Use

Verb

1679, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

purport

1 of 2 noun

pur·​port ˈpər-ˌpō(ə)rt 

-ˌpȯ(ə)rt

1

: meaning stated, suggested, or hinted

2

: the main point of a talk or subject

purport

2 of 2 verb

pur·​port (ˌ)pər-ˈpō(ə)rt 

-ˈpȯ(ə)rt

: to give the impression of being

purports to be a physician