as in contents
the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action
was able to give the purport of the governor's speech in a few words
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in intends
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 alleges
to state as a fact usually forcefully
he purports to be an expert in criminalistics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 purports
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
For a company that purports to be all about putting the customer first, the allegations laid out in the FTC case struck at the heart of how Amazon leaders want the world to perceive it.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
As crazy as the movie purports to be, there’s never an unexpected moment.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
An image of the Babolsar protest, shared by X user Nassem Aslam, purports to show crowds assembled outside the facility.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
But if the email purports to come from a global brand like Apple or Microsoft or Meta, then their basic email domain will not have been hijacked.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
The idea was to create more transparency around the deployment of a new technology that purports to improve safety but has also been tied to a number of deadly incidents.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
For the future is still one of our two great existential unknowns, and no matter what the data purports to tell us, Palo Alto is no Delphi.
—Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024
The email purports to be from Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, and its contents suggest that Saturday will be Lineker’s last appearance on Match of the Day, the Premier League highlights show.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
Made in 1905, crammed with comedy players, and hand-tinted with blurts of rough color, the film purports to show a car being driven by King Leopold II of Belgium, who is depicted as a fool behind the wheel.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
For a company that purports to be all about putting the customer first, the allegations laid out in the FTC case struck at the heart of how Amazon leaders want the world to perceive it.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
As crazy as the movie purports to be, there’s never an unexpected moment.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
An image of the Babolsar protest, shared by X user Nassem Aslam, purports to show crowds assembled outside the facility.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
But if the email purports to come from a global brand like Apple or Microsoft or Meta, then their basic email domain will not have been hijacked.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
The idea was to create more transparency around the deployment of a new technology that purports to improve safety but has also been tied to a number of deadly incidents.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
For the future is still one of our two great existential unknowns, and no matter what the data purports to tell us, Palo Alto is no Delphi.
—Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024
The email purports to be from Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, and its contents suggest that Saturday will be Lineker’s last appearance on Match of the Day, the Premier League highlights show.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purports
Noun
-
The contents of the article do not reflect me or the values of our state.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
In photos of her at the game, multiple angles appeared to show that the papers were the only contents of Hudson's bag.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Pritzker, who intends to seek a third term in 2026, was under consideration as a vice presidential running mate to Kamala Harris last year.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Toulouse now intends to go a step further and achieve micrometer-scale printing resolution while utilizing biodegradable materials compatible with living cells.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The indictment alleges the scheme started in March 2022 and continued through early last year.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Another version alleges planes or devices are being deployed by the federal government, private companies, or researchers to trigger big weather changes, such as hurricanes, or to alter the Earth’s climate, emitting hazardous chemicals in the process.—
Stephanie Armour,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The traditional containers of albums and singles never seemed to be enough to hold his intentions.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
-
But regardless of the intentions, the new rules are almost certain to bring new challenges to SNAP beneficiaries.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As for what the couple plans to do with their completely tax-free winnings?—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
-
However, as a whole, Columbia still plans to follow the strategic direction of the plan, while it is not set on strictly adhering to its practices, the official said.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But Daly still insists romance is a real possibility in this special place.—
Bernadette Keith,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Arne Slot insists Liverpool’s worst run of results for nearly 11 years has not dented confidence levels in his misfiring squad.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the book, the protagonist Jonathan Harker nicks himself with a razor and senses Dracula’s rapt attention.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
-
This brain region is known to be active when recalling memories that contain detail from various senses.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Hatch Act prohibits certain political activities by federal government employees and aims to protect federal employees from political coercion at work.—
Lillian Rizzo,Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
-
This strategy will reduce the time between launches for the fully reusable rocket, which SpaceX aims to fly multiple times per day.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purports.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purports. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share