as in unlimited
not limited or specialized in application or purpose
there's nothing wrong with all-purpose flour for baking bread, but flour with more gluten is better
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Recent Examples of all-purpose
Cook’s notes: To prepare pie crust, place 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
—
Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 28 May 2025
For an all-purpose car cleaner that works on plastic, leather, vinyl, carpet, wood and glass, the Chemical Guys total interior cleaner is a solid option.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
The Rays’ all-purpose player, though, has twice played three positions this season.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
To tackle all those daily messes that don’t require disinfecting, though, the all-purpose cleaner can’t be beat.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for all-purpose
Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 28 May 2025
For an all-purpose car cleaner that works on plastic, leather, vinyl, carpet, wood and glass, the Chemical Guys total interior cleaner is a solid option.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
The Rays’ all-purpose player, though, has twice played three positions this season.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
To tackle all those daily messes that don’t require disinfecting, though, the all-purpose cleaner can’t be beat.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for all-purpose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for all-purpose
Adjective
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The panel ruled that Trump did not have the authority to impose unlimited tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which gives presidents the power to impose sanctions during national emergencies.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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Get unlimited access to WIRED for only $2.50 $1 per month for one year.—
John Brandon,
Wired News,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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Pecans Pecans — as well as nuts in general — are a great item to buy in bulk at Costco.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
7 June 2025
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One former board member was Bean’s secretary, who had donated money to his wife’s campaigns for Knox County circuit, general sessions and juvenile court clerk, according to Betty Bean and local news reports at the time.—
Paige Pfleger,
ProPublica,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Gemini similarly offers a general-purpose Flash series and a Pro series for more complicated tasks.—
Ruben Circelli,
PC Magazine,
5 June 2025
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While the general-purpose Gemini 2.5 Flash has left preview, the Pro version is lagging behind.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“All-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/all-purpose. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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