for (all) practical purposes
idiom
—used to say that one thing has the same effect or result as something else
His effort to hide the document was, for practical purposes, an admission that he had made a mistake.
During the blizzard, the town was, for all practical purposes, shut down.
Examples of for (all) practical purposes in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, there are several beaches in Puerto Rico that, for all practical purposes, businesses have privatized, contrary to the archipelago’s law that all beaches are public spaces.
—
Camille Padilla Dalmau and Frances Medina, refinery29.com, 4 Oct. 2023
Earth's core, as inaccessible as the Sun for all practical purposes, has always made a handy repository for our wildest fantasies.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023
Most actors don’t pay too much attention to the language, and for practical purposes, background performances are typically not spliced into other projects to be reused in perpetuity.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 25 July 2023
Still others hold that the effort is pointless, that the dollar is already effectively digital for all practical purposes.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 5 May 2023
The Quattro, for all practical purposes, eliminates the need to listen to the weather report.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 18 Apr. 2023
But the reliance on parole to resettle evacuees — who, for practical purposes, were refugees intent on restarting their lives in the U.S. — also meant their future would be dictated by lawmakers' willingness, or unwillingness, to give them permanent status.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2023
More use diagonals and asymmetry in their floorplans and forms not only for visual and emotional impact, but for practical purposes: to bring people closer to one another, the pulpit and the altar, in ways that traditional churches sometimes don’t.
—Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2023
Then again, Paul, who is for all practical purposes a professional cynic, thinks everything is a terrible idea.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 24 Jan. 2023
See More
Camille Padilla Dalmau and Frances Medina, refinery29.com, 4 Oct. 2023
Earth's core, as inaccessible as the Sun for all practical purposes, has always made a handy repository for our wildest fantasies.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023
Most actors don’t pay too much attention to the language, and for practical purposes, background performances are typically not spliced into other projects to be reused in perpetuity.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 25 July 2023
Still others hold that the effort is pointless, that the dollar is already effectively digital for all practical purposes.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 5 May 2023
The Quattro, for all practical purposes, eliminates the need to listen to the weather report.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 18 Apr. 2023
But the reliance on parole to resettle evacuees — who, for practical purposes, were refugees intent on restarting their lives in the U.S. — also meant their future would be dictated by lawmakers' willingness, or unwillingness, to give them permanent status.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2023
More use diagonals and asymmetry in their floorplans and forms not only for visual and emotional impact, but for practical purposes: to bring people closer to one another, the pulpit and the altar, in ways that traditional churches sometimes don’t.
—Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2023
Then again, Paul, who is for all practical purposes a professional cynic, thinks everything is a terrible idea.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 24 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'for (all) practical purposes.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near for (all) practical purposes
Cite this Entry
“For (all) practical purposes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/for%20%28all%29%20practical%20purposes. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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