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\ ˈpərj 
\
\purged; purging
Definition of purge
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to clear of guilt
b : to free from moral or ceremonial defilement
2a : 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
purge
nounDefinition of purge (Entry 2 of 2)
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Examples of purge in a Sentence
Verb
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 on the Web: Verb USA TODAY Twitter is rethinking its plans to purge inactive accounts, including those started by users who have died.
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Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Twitter won't be removing inactive accounts after backlash over profiles of dead users," 30 Nov. 2019 But some agencies, including the governor’s office, went the wrong direction with their policies, instead, giving employees permission to purge a bit too quickly.
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The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, "Editorial: A top priority for lawmakers in 2020? Retain those state emails for a year or longer," 27 Nov. 2019 Efforts have been made to purge Buddhism of folk religion in Sri Lanka and Thailand, too.
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The Economist, "Monks in Myanmar have a new target," 14 Nov. 2019 Other countries efforts to force tech companies to purge more questionable content from their platforms by changing similar safe harbor protections have faced criticism for chilling free speech.
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Wired, "An Actual Debate Over the Internet’s Favorite Legal Shield," 17 Oct. 2019 Vested interests, corrupt political parties, and patronage systems that have propped up the autocrats for decades are too hard to purge.
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Robin Wright, The New Yorker, "Robert Mugabe and the Fate of Democracy in Africa," 9 Sep. 2019 HomeAway had already agreed — in a legal settlement after years of trading lawsuits with the city — to purge listings for unregistered vacation rentals by the end of the month, the revenue bureau said.
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oregonlive, "Airbnb to share data with Portland for tax, license enforcement," 5 Sep. 2019 State officials earlier this year sent notices to more than 230,000 people — who elections officials say mostly are people who have died or moved — earlier this year, informing them they were scheduled to be purged from the rolls in September.
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Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com, "Ohio to continue with voter purge Friday after federal judge declines to block it," 3 Sep. 2019 After learning recently that one state department was starting a policy of purging most emails after 30 days, The Post requested email retention policies for 22 state offices and departments.
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Alex Burness, The Denver Post, "Emails are being purged across Colorado state government," 8 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun It’s been derailed by problems at home, including the backlash against his purge of the elite, and abroad by the outrage over the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen.
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Matthew Martin / Bloomberg, Time, "Saudi Arabia’s State-Owned Oil Giant Just Raised $25.6 Billion in the World’s Biggest-Ever IPO," 5 Dec. 2019 Sumlin continues his staff purge, firing his defensive line coach.
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oregonlive, "Oregon coach Mario Cristobal and OSU coach Jonathan Smith look like home run hires: Issues & Answers," 22 Nov. 2019 According to a person with knowledge of the purge, Tamaulipas was one of four states where the most firings took place.
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Maria Verza, The Denver Post, "Migrants stuck in lawless limbo within sight of America," 18 Nov. 2019 Joseph Stalin is widely believed to have been responsible for the murder of roughly a million people during his purge of wealthy Russians (kulaks) and political opponents in 1936.
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Luke Mcgee, CNN, "Boris Johnson compared Jeremy Corbyn to Stalin and it shows how nasty British politics has become," 6 Nov. 2019 His anti-corruption purges have ensnared more than 13,000 officers (three serving generals were demoted in June, according to the South China Morning Post, a newspaper in Hong Kong).
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The Economist, "Xi Jinping wants China’s armed forces to be “world-class” by 2050," 27 June 2019 In a psychedelic fairy tale about ridding oneself of fear and pain — absolutely delightful from its nightmare of an opening to its floral purge of a finale.
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Clark Collis, EW.com, "Midsommar early screening reactions hail horror 'masterpiece'," 19 June 2019 The king named him next in line for the throne in June, replacing the monarch's nephew, who was implicated in a corruption purge.
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Editors, USA TODAY, "5 things you need to know Tuesday," 20 Mar. 2018 There’s some kind of a release of energy and a purge of soul.
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Andrew R. Chow, Time, "Gemini Man Director Ang Lee Wants to Change the Way We See Movies," 10 Oct. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for purge
purge
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of purge
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to remove people from an area, country, organization, etc., often in a violent and sudden way
: to cause something to leave the body
purge
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of purge (Entry 2 of 2)
: the often violent and sudden removal of people from an area, country, organization, etc.
See the full definition for purge in the English Language Learners Dictionary
purge
verb\ ˈpərj \
\purged; purging
Kids Definition of purge
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
nounKids Definition of purge (Entry 2 of 2)
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
purge
verb\ ˈpərj \
\purged; purging
Medical Definition of purge
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
purge
nounMedical Definition of purge (Entry 2 of 2)
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purge
transitive verb\ ˈpərj \
\purged; purging
Legal Definition of purge
1 : to clear (as oneself or another) of guilt
purged himself of contempt
2 : to become no longer guilty of
purge the contempt
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Time Traveler for purge
The first known use of purge was in the 14th century
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