general-purpose
adjective
gen·er·al-pur·pose
ˈjen-rəl-ˈpər-pəs 
ˈje-nə-
: suitable to be used for two or more basic purposes
Examples of general-purpose in a Sentence
a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, the same general-purpose model that powers other tasks extended naturally to this one through new data.
—
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Homes involve a long tail of chores, and general-purpose robots could indeed provide enormous value.
—Maya Cakmak, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2025
Tesla’s Optimus robot will soon be mass produced as a general-purpose worker.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
But economic history tells us that even the most transformative technologies, which economists refer to as general-purpose technologies, can’t be exploited to maximum effect until infrastructure, skills, and products that can complement them are developed.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
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Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Homes involve a long tail of chores, and general-purpose robots could indeed provide enormous value.
—Maya Cakmak, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2025
Tesla’s Optimus robot will soon be mass produced as a general-purpose worker.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
But economic history tells us that even the most transformative technologies, which economists refer to as general-purpose technologies, can’t be exploited to maximum effect until infrastructure, skills, and products that can complement them are developed.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Cite this Entry
“General-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general-purpose. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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