as in restoring
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially
a day on which the faithful are expected to purge themselves of their sins through prayer and fasting
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Recent Examples of purging
Because helium is essential for pressurizing cryogenic tanks and for purging the pipelines that will carry highly reactive liquid oxygen, the leak raised concerns.
—
Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Heaters were deployed to keep the Orion capsule on top of the rocket warm, while rocket-purging systems were adapted to the cold.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
Solid helium flow is essential for purging the engines and pressurizing the fuel tanks.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Heaters are keeping the Orion capsule warm atop the rocket, officials said, and rocket-purging systems are also being adapted to the cold.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
And so every autocrat ends up purging any kind of critic.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Back in Texas, five days of purging await.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 12 Jan. 2026
Maduro complemented the repressive apparatus by purging institutions of anyone who dared dissent.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
Start With a Thoughtful Edit Finding new life in your existing wardrobe starts by purging what doesn't have anything left for you.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025
Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Heaters were deployed to keep the Orion capsule on top of the rocket warm, while rocket-purging systems were adapted to the cold.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
Solid helium flow is essential for purging the engines and pressurizing the fuel tanks.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Heaters are keeping the Orion capsule warm atop the rocket, officials said, and rocket-purging systems are also being adapted to the cold.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
And so every autocrat ends up purging any kind of critic.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Back in Texas, five days of purging await.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 12 Jan. 2026
Maduro complemented the repressive apparatus by purging institutions of anyone who dared dissent.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
Start With a Thoughtful Edit Finding new life in your existing wardrobe starts by purging what doesn't have anything left for you.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purging
Verb
-
The opera ends with Akhnaten’s son, presumably Tutankhamun, restoring polytheism, and then, once the staging jumps millennia into the future, it’s rediscovered by modern-day tourists.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
If the matter-antimatter asymmetry arose due to a breaking of a certain cosmic symmetry at a higher energy, then restoring the symmetry could lead to that symmetry re-breaking in a different fashion.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nighttime routines used to consist of cleansing your face, putting on a basic retinol, and finishing with a generous slathering of Pond's Cream.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The rain continues, cleansing the city of its grime.—
Rodrigo Hasbún,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In Search of the American Wilderness, a lyrical memoir about his experiences observing the cyclical nature of grizzly bears, while healing from the trauma of fighting in the Vietnam War.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Tucked away in a lush valley, the town is famed for fresh, clean air and healing hot springs.—
Albee Zhang,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a nutshell, wastewater recycling works by first physically filtering the water, then subjecting it to reverse osmosis, and finally purifying it with ultraviolet light.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
25 Feb. 2026
-
When taken together in the evening, extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice are said to act synergistically to create a gently purifying antioxidant blend.—
Beatrice Zocchi,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purging. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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