purported 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of purportednext
as in hypothetical

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purported

2 of 2

verb

past tense of purport
1
as in intended
to have in mind as a purpose or goal do you purport to spend the rest of your life on that couch, or do you think you might get a job someday?

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in alleged
to state as a fact usually forcefully he purports to be an expert in criminalistics

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of purported
Adjective
Its voiceover describes purported attacks by Russian and Ukrainian forces. — Molly Stellino, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2022 The assembly meeting, planned before Monday’s barrage, was intended to respond to Russia’s purported absorption last month of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. — Jennifer Peltz, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2022
Verb
All that while trying to get Espai Barca done and unlocking those purported €250million in additional revenues. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The user also purported in the post that this has been going on for a while, or at least since the April 2025 killing of 17-year-old White teenager Austin Metcalf. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purported
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purported
  1. hypothetical
  2. intended
  3. alleged
  4. supposed
  5. planned
  6. claimed
  7. conjectural
  8. insisted
Adjective
  • This specific scenario is still hypothetical, but in general, mapmakers using their powers to litigate factional and personal grievances isn’t hard to imagine.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Lawyers had to mark up a hypothetical patent that, according to the blog post, contained many substantive and stylistic errors.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypothetical
Verb
  • Sullivan touted his Bycatch Reduction Act, a bill intended to reduce excess fish caught by large commercial trawlers.
    — Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The donation is intended to benefit children age 10 and under who aren’t eligible for the federal government’s separate $1,000 contribution for children born between 2025 and 2028.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of intended
Verb
  • In 1961, for instance, a riot erupted at the merry-go-round when police officers alleged a 17-year-old Black rider failed to pay for his admission.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Hill alleged Sneed was closely involved in some of those arrangements.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of alleged
Adjective
  • But clearly any supposed rivalry between the legendary bands is water under the bridge.
    — Peter Gicas, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026
Definition of supposed
Verb
  • With night set to fall, many in the area were without power due to outages planned by Southern California Edison in hopes of preventing power lines downed by the winds from sparking fires.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The band had planned to celebrate the release of its second album, Toxicity, with a free show in a Hollywood parking lot on September 3, 2001.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of planned
Verb
  • Regardless of these details, the results rather accurately reproduced the chaos in the brain so many researchers claimed psychedelics caused.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed three Saudis, including a pilot.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of claimed
Adjective
  • The first two questions are too hypothetical and conjectural.
    — Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2026
  • Projections of economic gains from major sporting events are typically optimistic, euphoric, chimerical or conjectural.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Definition of conjectural
Verb
  • Yet policymakers repeatedly insisted that Vietnam was the place where American credibility had to be demonstrated and established.
    — Christopher Nichols, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The comments drew swift condemnation from California leaders, even as the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, insisted the president’s remarks had been taken out of context.
    — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of insisted

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Cite this Entry

“Purported.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purported. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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