as in unlimited
not limited or specialized in application or purpose
a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs
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Recent Examples of general-purpose
Imagine general-purpose humanoids becoming as ubiquitous as smartphones, doing household chores, taking care of our parents, and taking over tasks that humans don’t want.
—
Eric Schmidt, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
McKinsey projects the market for general-purpose robots could reach $370 billion by 2040, while analysts at RBC Capital Markets have forecast a global total addressable market for humanoids of $9 trillion by 2050.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
The express lanes are part the 183 North Mobility Project, which also added general-purpose lanes in 2024.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
Nvidia has branched out into general-purpose processors, networking and full computer systems, giving it an even greater hold on customers.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Eric Schmidt, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
McKinsey projects the market for general-purpose robots could reach $370 billion by 2040, while analysts at RBC Capital Markets have forecast a global total addressable market for humanoids of $9 trillion by 2050.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
The express lanes are part the 183 North Mobility Project, which also added general-purpose lanes in 2024.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
Nvidia has branched out into general-purpose processors, networking and full computer systems, giving it an even greater hold on customers.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for general-purpose
Adjective
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Get unlimited digital access to Vogue including the Spring issue for $3 $1/month for one year.—
Daniel Rodgers,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Geopolitics aside, this news is a huge deal for the BCIs in general.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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Vaughn Hardenberg Westwood The Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman gets all the attention and accolades as being one of the smartest and most successful general managers in sports, and deservedly so.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Raiders have 13 of their own unrestricted free agents still on the market as of Friday afternoon.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
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Now, 25 years later, the next generation of students have turned to AI—and education experts warn unrestricted use of the technology could atrophy critical thinking skills.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“General-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/general-purpose. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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