purse

noun

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\ ˈpərs

Definition of purse

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(1) : a small bag for money

(2) : a receptacle (such as a pocketbook) for carrying money and often other small objects

b : a receptacle (such as a pouch) shaped like a purse

2a : resources, funds

b : a sum of money offered as a prize or present also : the total amount of money offered in prizes for a given event

purse

verb

pursed; pursing

Definition of purse (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to put into a purse

2 : pucker, knit pursed his brow

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Synonyms for purse

Synonyms: Noun

Examples of purse in a Sentence

Noun a golf tournament with a million dollar purse I left my purse at home, so I can't buy anything after all. Verb She pursed her lips in concentration. His lips were tightly pursed.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun At the start, King said she was told to empty out her purse. — NBC News, "A hidden army of 'very brave' nuns fight child trafficking," 4 Apr. 2021 If your pen cap fell off in your purse, don't worry. — Lauren Smith Mcdonough, Good Housekeeping, "How to Easily Remove Pen Ink From Clothes," 29 Mar. 2021 When the woman left the bank and got into her car, Smith ran over to the vehicle and reached in over her, taking her purse, police say. — Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "Akron police arrest suspect in purse-snatching from 89-year-old woman," 26 Mar. 2021 Who cares that DeLuca is in the back seat and there's a grenade in her purse? — Lincee Ray, EW.com, "Grey's Anatomy recap: Teddy struggles with reality," 26 Mar. 2021 Watch how Walter primly undoes her purse and drags out the As of star and war. — Jackson Mchenry, Vulture, "It’s an Appreciation of Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth, What Could It Contain, 13 Best Moments?," 25 Mar. 2021 The three men began to flee in their vehicle, but the younger woman grabbed the vehicle in an effort to retrieve her purse, police said. — Vanessa Arredondo, San Francisco Chronicle, "Two Asian woman beaten and robbed in San Francisco," 23 Mar. 2021 Once the meeting concluded, a woman in the Hoosier delegation reached into her purse and pulled out three baseballs for Castro to autograph. — David Woods, The Indianapolis Star, "Before Indianapolis saved the NCAA tournament, the city rescued the 1987 Pan Am Games," 18 Mar. 2021 The memory ends with the image of my friend squatting, crapulous, and dumping her purse on the sidewalk. — Justin Torres, Los Angeles Times, "The gold chain that got away," 17 Mar. 2021

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