purge

play

verb \ ˈpərj \

Definition of purge

purged; purging

transitive verb

1 a :to clear of guilt

b :to free from moral or ceremonial defilement

2 a :to cause evacuation from

purge the bowels

b (1) :to make free of something unwanted

purge a manhole of gas

purge yourself of fear

(2) :to free (something, such as a boiler) of sediment or relieve (something, such as a steam pipe) of trapped air by bleeding

c (1) :to rid (a nation, a political party, etc.) by a purge

(2) :to get rid of

the leaders had been purged

intransitive verb

1 :to become purged

2 :to have or produce frequent evacuations

3 :to cause purgation

—

purger

noun

See purge defined for English-language learners

See purge defined for kids

Examples of purge in a Sentence

High-ranking officials were purged from the company following the merger.
a day on which the faithful are expected to purge themselves of their sins through prayer and fasting

Recent Examples of purge from the Web

In the days since the rally, which killed one counter-protester, a growing number of other Silicon Valley companies have made the decision to purge users and groups promoting hate speech.

— vanityfair.com, "Silicon Valley’s Nazi Purge Kicks Into Overdrive," 17 Aug. 2017
Kendra mentions bingeing without being able to successfully learn how to purge.

— briana hernandez, Teen Vogue, "Why We Need More Characters Like Kendra on "To The Bone"," 4 Aug. 2017
But Wasserman Schultz continued to employ Awan even though every other Democrat purged him from their payroll.

— alex daugherty and amy sherman, miamiherald, "Wasserman Schultz kept paying tech expert suspected of stealing House computers," 26 July 2017
Not since the 1980s has someone being groomed in this way been so unceremoniously purged.

— The Economist, "Sun’s outA potential successor to Xi Jinping is purged," 20 July 2017
At $3 billion, the tunnels would cost much more than the other alternatives, officials said, and would require hefty operating expenses for extensive ventilation systems to purge auto exhaust and smoke from traffic emergencies.

— tony briscoe, chicagotribune.com, "Lake Shore Drive proposals would shift beaches, straighten Oak Street curve," 12 July 2017
Any officer who is honest or an opponent of Maduro is likely to have been purged from its top ranks.

— john fund, National Review, "A Hero, a Turncoat, and a Trojan Horse Shake Venezuela," 9 July 2017
These letters were part of a legal campaign spearheaded by three former Justice Department officials from the George W. Bush administration to purge voter rolls across the country.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "There's a Voter Suppression SWAT Team from the Bush Administration on the Loose," 7 July 2017
The deer pens in Fort Collins experienced a similar phenomenon — a new generation of sick elk — despite efforts to purge the soil of deadly prions.

— john fauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A family of fatal brain diseases has baffled scientists while infecting new species," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In some cultures, a ritual bath or prayer is performed to purge guilt or evil spirits. The Minoans of ancient Crete may have used human sacrifice as a way of purging the entire community, which is fine for the community but rough on the victims. In many cultures, people periodically purge themselves physically—that is, clean out their digestive tracts—by taking strong laxatives; this used to be a popular springtime ritual, and herbal purgatives were readily available.

Origin and Etymology of purge

Middle English, from Anglo-French purger, from Latin purigare, purgare to purify, purge, from purus pure + -igare (akin to agere to drive, do) — more at act

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

purge Synonyms

Synonyms

cleanse, purify, sanctify

Related Words

amend, improve, refine; heal, regenerate, restore; elevate, ennoble, uplift; absolve, acquit, clear, exonerate, vindicate

Near Antonyms

corrupt, debase, debauch, defile, degrade, demean, deprave, pervert, stain, warp; poison, profane, prostitute; sully, tarnish

purge

noun

Definition of purge

1 :something that purges; especially :purgative

2 a :an act or instance of purging

b :the removal of elements or members regarded as undesirable and especially as treacherous or disloyal

See purge defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of purge from the Web

And the easiest thing for a repressive system to do is always to ratchet up oppression, like fearful commissars overshooting their purge quotas in the Soviet Union of the 1930s.

— chicagotribune.com, "China is trying to give the internet a death blow," 25 Aug. 2017
Why are California conservatives engaging in a purge effort when their party is so weak?

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Endangered California Republicans Feuding Over Ideology," 22 Aug. 2017
He was saved from Joffrey's purge of Robert's bastards when Arya convinced the Gold Cloaks that he had already been killed.

— megan mccluskey, Time, "This Long-Lost Character Just Came Back in a Big Way on Game of Thrones," 13 Aug. 2017
Was a shame when ESPN made her part of their purge.

— paul dehner jr., Cincinnati.com, "Walkthru: Understanding Burfict backlash," 2 Aug. 2017
After the researchers blocked an earlier set of apps on Google Play, the developers uploaded a new set of apps with a similar format but a couple of differences in an attempt to work around the purge.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "Stealthy Google Play apps recorded calls and stole e-mails and texts," 27 July 2017
The bloody purge convinced the Communists of the need to create their own military forces, and Lau offers an audacious, highly stylized way of depicting this.

— clarence tsui, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Founding of an Army' ('Jian Jun Da Ye'): Film Review," 21 July 2017
Xi, whose own family suffered during the political purges of the Cultural Revolution, has overseen a revival of Marxist education and Mao-style political campaigns.

— ting shi, Bloomberg.com, "Here's a Window Into How Xi Has Reshaped China," 18 July 2017
In a similar vein, lack of evidence didn’t stop Scott from attempting a 2012 voter purge too close to the presidential elections and in advance of his re-election race in 2014.

— fabiola santiago, miamiherald, "Where have we seen Trump’s ‘repugnant’ voter witch hunt before? In Scott’s Florida," 6 July 2017

First Known Use of purge

1593

PURGE Defined for English Language Learners

purge

play

verb

Definition of purge for English Language Learners

: to remove people from an area, country, organization, etc., often in a violent and sudden way
: to cause something to leave the body

purge

noun

Definition of purge for English Language Learners

: the often violent and sudden removal of people from an area, country, organization, etc.

PURGE Defined for Kids

purge

play

verb \ ˈpərj \

Definition of purge for Students

purged; purging

1 :to get rid of

Ineffective workers were purged from the company.

2 :to rid of unwanted things or people

The heir alone would be able to … purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic.
—J. K. Rowling, Chamber of Secrets

purge

noun

Definition of purge for Students

1 :an act or instance of ridding of what is unwanted

2 :the removal of members thought to be treacherous or disloyal

a purge of party leaders

Medical Dictionary

purge

play

verb \ ˈpərj \

medical Definition of purge

purged; purging

transitive verb

1 :to cause evacuation from (as the bowels) or of or from the bowels of

drugs that purge the bowels

purged the patient with a cathartic

2 :to free (itself) of suspended matter usually by sedimentation —used of a liquid

intransitive verb

1 :to become purged

2 :to have or produce frequent evacuations

3 :to cause purgation

purge

noun

medical Definition of purge

1 :something that purges; especially :purgative

2 :an act or instance of purging

Law Dictionary

purge

play

transitive verb \ ˈpərj \

legal Definition of purge

purged; purging

1 :to clear (as oneself or another) of guilt

purged himself of contempt

2 :to become no longer guilty of

purge the contempt

Learn More about purge

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for purge Spanish Central: Translation of purge Nglish: Translation of purge for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of purge for Arabic speakers

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purge

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PURGE Defined for English Language Learners

purge

Definition of purge for English Language Learners

purge

Definition of purge for English Language Learners

PURGE Defined for Kids

purge

Definition of purge for Students

purge

Definition of purge for Students

Medical Dictionary

purge

medical Definition of purge

purge

medical Definition of purge

Law Dictionary

purge

legal Definition of purge

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