purse strings

plural noun

: financial resources
also : control over these resources

Examples of purse strings in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As Hodgson, who only launched Pale Horse Gallery last year, attested, soaring business rates, rent, and energy bills are serious obstacles—not to mention collectors tightening their purse strings on account of geopolitical and economic uncertainty. George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 June 2026 Sixty years after Revolver, Beatlemania is a never-ending flurry of idyllic remembrances of the past, a careful tugging at both heart- and purse strings. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 4 June 2026 Falvo turned to Creeden’s argument that his job was to sign checks, not to control the purse strings. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026 The president holds the purse strings. Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for purse strings

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of purse strings was circa 1530

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Cite this Entry

“Purse strings.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purse%20strings. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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