1
as in haunt
a place for spending time or for socializing
the restaurant, the preferred purlieu of the theatergoing crowd, is always packed an hour or two before showtime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in vicinity
purlieus plural
an adjoining region or space
we stopped at one of the several pubs in the purlieus of the stadium
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in outskirts
purlieus plural
the districts adjacent to a city
such gated communities are common among the purlieus of these Midwestern cities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purlieu
Noun
-
Part of the vicious cycle of addiction is returning to the same haunts, the same friends, and the same circumstances that spurred the spiral into drug use.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026 -
Juicy, whole lobster served grilled or blackened is best, though the menu at this famous haunt features every possible iteration of the dish.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Orion spacecraft may only be the size of two minivans on the inside — but for the Artemis II astronauts, the capsule taking them to the vicinity of the moon has already proved to be larger than life.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Its four astronauts—NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen—successfully traveled around the moon, returning humans to the lunar vicinity for the first time in more than a half-century.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All of this comes as the future of the larger $700 million casino and resort project is in legal limbo after the federal government rescinded its initial approval following multiple lawsuits filed by neighboring tribes.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Journalism ethics experts are sounding off on the scandal involving Pats coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini, as The Athletic investigates Russini’s conduct after the pair was spotted holding hands at a luxury resort.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Purlieu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purlieu. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
