Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

general–purpose

play
adjective gen·er·al–pur·pose \ˈjen-rəl-ˈpər-pəs, ˈje-nə-\

Definition of general–purpose

  1. :  suitable to be used for two or more basic purposes

See general–purpose defined for English-language learners

From the M-W Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
steve-bannon
Trending: Bannon: One of Us is Going to be a 'Hegemon'
alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder
time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

First Known Use of general–purpose

1894

general–purpose Synonyms

Synonyms
all-around (also all-round), all-purpose, catholic, general-purpose, unlimited, unqualified, unrestricted, unspecialized
Antonyms
limited, restricted, specialized, technical
Related Words
mixed-use, multipurpose; broad, wide; nonspecific, unspecified, vague
Near Antonyms
bounded, circumscribed, confined, definite, demarcated, determinate, finite, qualified; dedicated, selective

GENERAL–PURPOSE Defined for English Language Learners

general-purpose

play
adjective

Definition of general–purpose for English Language Learners

  • : able to be used for many purposes : not limited to a single purpose

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up general–purpose? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

oppugn

play

to fight against or to call in question

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  2. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  3. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

  4. bereft "Lacking something needed, wanted, or expected"

  5. impanel "To choose people to serve on a jury"

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

image1458426927
Food Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

alt-5993066a3afad
What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game