purge
verb
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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 fastingRecent Examples on the Web: Verb
Tyrants respond to their early successes not by resting on their laurels but by constantly upping the ante more and more, purging the disloyal, and forcing the loyal to submit to more and more ludicrous positions. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Did Trump Just Help Stop Brexit?," 13 July 2018 However, the news and chaos reminds me of binging & purging. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "A good offense may be best defense for House GOP," 25 June 2018 These babies may tremble, sweat, cry uncontrollably or even suffer seizures as their little bodies purge the drugs their mothers have taken. — Allison Ross, The Courier-Journal, "As drug epidemic sweeps Louisville, pregnant moms get help they need," 14 June 2018 Pratt said in a ruling issued Friday that the harm to wrongly purged voters far outweighs any possible harm to Indiana election officials seeking to protect the integrity of the process. — Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, "Judge blocks plan to purge Indiana voters before November election," 11 June 2018 Burning the page, which happens at the end of the exercise, allows us to purge even more of that charge and serves as a symbol of letting go. — Habib Sadeghi, Health.com, "Do This for 12 Minutes a Day to Release Negative Emotions," 21 June 2018 Breyer noted that most voters simply ignore the warning notices, leaving their failure to vote as the principal cause for being purged from the rolls. — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "U.S. Supreme Court ruling means Wisconsin can continue purging its voter rolls every 4 years," 11 June 2018 Alcantara is etched in as a large part of that future, the top pitching prospect in the system and the jewel right-handed pitcher acquired in a flurry of winter trades that wiped the roster and purged the Marlins outfield. — Matthew Defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Marlins' future on display as Sandy Alcantara, Lewis Brinson lead Miami past Mets," 30 June 2018 Nineteen states use voter inactivity in the process of purging their databases, though only a handful make non-voting as central as Ohio does. — Greg Stohr, Bloomberg.com, "U.S. Supreme Court Backs States’ Voter-Purge Efforts," 11 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
To underscore the challenges in following North Korean affairs, the Yonhap agency reported erroneously in February 2016 that Ri Yong Gil had been executed as part of high-level purges. — Brian Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, "North Korea replaces three top military leaders," 4 June 2018 About a dozen people set upon Mayor Yiannis Boutaris at a Saturday ceremony honoring Greek victims of purges by the Turks during World War I and the subsequent Greek-Turkish war. — Fox News, "Greek police arrest 2 in mob beating of Thessaloniki's mayor," 20 May 2018 Last year, several Republican senators expressed support in passing a law to protect Mueller from the kind of purge Trump seems intent upon carrying out. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Republicans Can’t Understand Why Trump Is Acting Guilty," 19 Mar. 2018 The New York Times reported on March 11 that 17 of those detained at the Ritz as part of the purge were hospitalized for physical abuse and one later died. — Bloomberg.com, "Coming to America: The Saudi Prince’s Charm Offensive," 19 Mar. 2018 The latest Twitter purge has ejected 100,000 of President Trump's followers from the social media site. — Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, "Twitter purge wipes out a big chunk of Trump, Obama followers — and Twitter's own," 12 July 2018 One, William Ader, noted the Twitter purge revealed a far slimmer twitterverse. — Ronald J. Hansen, azcentral, "Twitter purge hits John McCain, Ruben Gallego most among Arizona politicos," 12 July 2018 The purges that followed decimated Turkey’s institutions and further strained relations with its Western partners, most notably Germany and the U.S.; each had citizens swept up and thrown in prison. — Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg," 18 May 2018 That purge continued at the trade deadline, as the Cavs brought in four new players while sending away six, a few of which had close ties to Jefferson. — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, "Cavaliers excited to see Richard Jefferson again, expecting to hear lots of (soup?) jokes Saturday," 5 Mar. 2018These 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
verb
English 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
\
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
\
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
\
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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