purpose

noun

pur·pose | \ ˈpər-pəs

Definition of purpose

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : something set up as an object or end to be attained : intention

b : resolution, determination

2 : a subject under discussion or an action in course of execution

on purpose

: by intent : intentionally

purpose

verb

purposed; purposing

Definition of purpose (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to propose as an aim to oneself

Other Words from purpose Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about purpose

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Choose the Right Synonym for purpose

Noun

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain. intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about. announced his intention to marry intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness. the clear intent of the statute purpose suggests a more settled determination. being successful was her purpose in life design implies a more carefully calculated plan. the order of events came by accident, not design aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing. her aim was to raise film to an art form end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such. willing to use any means to achieve his end object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need. his constant object was the achievement of pleasure objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable. their objective is to seize the oil fields goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship. worked years to reach her goals

Examples of purpose in a Sentence

Noun

Shocking as it is, more than a month after the hurricane hit, New Orleans is still, for all practical purposes, a ghost town. — Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005 By the time … American aid began pouring in, to all intents and purposes the war had already been lost. — Neil L. Jamieson, Understanding Vietnam, 1993 But wartime wage and price controls prevented companies from competing for the available talent by means of increased salaries. They had to compete with fringe benefits instead, and free health insurance was tailor-made for this purpose. — John Steele Gordon, American Heritage, May - June 1992 His purpose is to realize himself, to live the fullest possible life, and he is responsible for this, like all men, regardless of how society treats him. — Shelby Steele, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 1990 The purpose of the new resort is to attract more tourists. The loans are small but they serve a good purpose. Sometimes his life seemed to lack purpose or meaning. We started work again with a renewed sense of purpose.

Verb

I have not purposed to misrepresent this boy in any way, for what little indignation he excited in me soon passed and left nothing behind it but compassion. — Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880 The child then explained that they had left the races on the first day, and were travelling to the next town on that road, where they purposed to spend the night. — Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop, 1841 I've been purposing to fix that thing for some time now.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Advertising Justices cited the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act that in 1980 set aside 162,500 square miles (420,875 square kilometers) of land for preservation purposes. — Dan Joling, The Seattle Times, "Alaska moose-hunter can ‘rev up’ his hovercraft, court rules," 27 Mar. 2019 All entrants, upon submission, will provide Niantic with a perpetual license to use their entries, both for marketing purposes and to incorporate any features or concepts, including gameplay, into its platform, technology, and future products. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Pokémon Go creators launch AR-game contest that (nearly) resembles American Idol," 21 Dec. 2018 In addition to taking the bittersweet family photos, the actors also posed for individual portraits that may be used for promotional purposes throughout the season. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "'This Is Us' Characters Come Together for Rare, Multigenerational Photo at the Pearson Cabin," 27 Aug. 2018 Now) CBD Healing Skin Balm This is Cannuka's all-purpose product for both face and body. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Ulta Welcomes Cannuka, Its First-Ever CBD Skin-Care Brand," 17 Mar. 2019 Chinese elite politics have always been a black box, but the signals on economic policy emerging from Beijing in recent weeks have been more at cross-purposes than usual. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, "Chinese Central Bank’s Rhetoric Is Concerning," 11 Mar. 2019 Make blini: Whisk together all-purpose flour, milk, unsalted butter, and kosher salt. — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Egg Salad Blini Bites," 8 Mar. 2019 Dermatologist Ellen Marmur sees multi-purpose primers as a good thing. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Why the New “Smart” Primers Could Transform Your Beauty Routine," 25 Feb. 2019 Its purpose is to encourage kids to behave, and help them understand that the holidays are about more than just receiving gifts. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "'Peep on a Perch' Is the New 'Elf on a Shelf'," 8 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And there’s no doubt that Ali’s involvement in theater has now given others purpose and courage as well. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Ali Stroker on "Oklahoma!" and Bringing Disability Representation to Another Iconic Musical," 6 Aug. 2018 Lambert said Life Remodeled works at the Durfee Innovation Society, which was re-purposed from the old Durfee Elementary School building. — Caroline Blackmon, Detroit Free Press, "Free outdoor yoga at Cobo Center benefits charity," 6 July 2018 Those could include re-purposing 18 certified law enforcement officers already hired by the district or paying cops overtime pay. — Colleen Wright, miamiherald, "With little time and cash, Broward to hire armed guards instead of police at schools," 27 June 2018 His supporters — many of whom came with their families — drank beer and ate bar snacks in the large Union Jack’s pub, where pool tables were re-purposed to hold cheese plates. — Ovetta Wiggins, Washington Post, "As Democrats stump, Hogan kicks off reelection campaign," 9 June 2018 Features occasionally look familiar, as if plucked from collective consciousness and re-purposed as portals to an individual soul. — Leah Ollman, latimes.com, "Like song sampling as painting: Nathaniel Mary Quinn's puzzle-like portraits of personhood," 6 June 2018 Today this set of sturdy structures, built in the early years of the last century, is being re-purposed and renamed Highland Forge. — Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, "Jacques Kelly: Constructing a new future from Haven Street's industrial past," 26 May 2018 However, technology that was originally purposed to be efficient and useful, quickly became menacing and dangerous once in the hands of fraudulent telemarketers. — Melissa Ramsey, Houston Chronicle, "BBB on Seniors: Be alert to robocalls, telemarketing scams," 15 June 2018 That’s different from Amazon, which because of lines of sight and other issues needs to purpose-build new Amazon Go stores. — Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, "No more grocery checkout lines: Microsoft may rival Amazon with tech that cuts out the cashier," 14 June 2018

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

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Last Updated

10 Apr 2019

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The first known use of purpose was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for purpose

purpose

noun

English Language Learners Definition of purpose

: the reason why something is done or used : the aim or intention of something

: the feeling of being determined to do or achieve something

: the aim or goal of a person : what a person is trying to do, become, etc.

See the full definition for purpose in the English Language Learners Dictionary

purpose

noun

pur·pose | \ ˈpər-pəs

Kids Definition of purpose

: something set up as a goal to be achieved : intention, aim “… my purpose in writing this brief note is to suggest that we meet.”— E. B. White, Stuart Little

on purpose

: purposely