purports 1 of 2

plural of purport

purports

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of purport

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
Noun
Damien Warren-Smith, an Australian comedian whose solo show purports to stage every book of the Penguin Classics series in seventy minutes. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026 For some, the biggest risk would come if others in the region simply don’t trust the restrictions the Saudi deal purports to include. — Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026 One video that quickly went viral purports to show Israeli soldiers beating locals opposed to the project. — Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026 Video shows corpses outside capital Meanwhile, video circulating online purports to show dozens of bodies in a morgue on the outskirts of Iran’s capital. — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026 Instead, Trump purports to have valid cause. — Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 11 Jan. 2026 The law applies to state and local agencies and purports to cover federal officers operating in California, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who have worn masks during recent neighborhood enforcement actions. — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Verb
The statement, in which Bryan supposedly spoke up defending his stance from the night before, came from an X account that purports to belong to the singer but does not. — Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026 In August, Brightline West President Sarah Watterson stepped down; local reporting in California purports the company has struggled to raise the investment funds needed to get the project going. — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026 Monster purports that Wournos (here played by Ryan Murphy go-to Sarah Paulson) was obsessed with Lizzie Borden, though there is no evidence to back up this idea. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 Similarly, in the Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night (1964), which purports to depict two days in the life of the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania, the band members are, of course, playing themselves. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026 An army of trial watchers purports, without proof, that Clancy is entirely innocent—that she was somehow framed by Patrick, who has testified in her defense. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 The Lynx, a WNBA-best 30-7, have championship aspirations but still have time to deliver regular-season smoke to a Valkyries squad that purports to be on their level. — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 As traditionally understood, a movie purports to tell a story to an audience whose ideal state is one of relative ignorance. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026 While Bret purports to understand, there are unmistakable tears in his eyes. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purports
Noun
  • Many state wiretap and eavesdropping laws are written around whether a private communication was intercepted or its contents were acquired — not simply whether a conventional audio recording was created.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In late September, video showed Wang going through the victim’s desk before picking up his coffee tin, opening and inspecting its contents, the police affidavit said.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Still, the department intends to send letters to current driver license or identification card holders potentially affected that will offer complimentary identity and credit monitoring services and $1 million identity theft insurance for 1 year.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The Japanese automaker intends to implement DWPT technology in the logistics and transportation industries in the first phase.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That suit alleges Ticketmaster knowingly let brokers use thousands of accounts to get around ticket limits, then profited when those tickets were resold on its own marketplace.
    — James LaForge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The lawsuit alleges that the requirement could jeopardize the diner's future at BWI.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The Find + Follow Air Purifier senses areas of high air pollutants in the home – such as where residents are cooking, smoking or burning candles – and adjusts its position to clean this air.
    — Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The five senses — sound, touch, taste, vision and smell — are all key blocks of memory building.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • New safety requirements apply What sets the aircraft apart is its enhanced angle-of-attack system, which Boeing plans to introduce across the 737 MAX family.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The company has about 40 employees across San Francisco and New York and plans to reach around 75 by the end of the year.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The administration insists its strategy of inflicting economic pain is working.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But Jessica insists that Elizabeth doesn’t know the specific brand of hot dogs and buns she’s already acquired, which means that if, for instance, Elizabeth brought Hawaiian buns and chicken sausages, there would be an inconsistency.
    — Jennifer Kim, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Despite researchers’ best intentions, there will always be a tendency to push the boundaries of the evidence beyond conservative limits, and with that comes greater risk of making claims that ultimately fail to generalize.
    — Mark Louie F. Ramos, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Many arrive after years of frustration in educational settings that, despite the best intentions of dedicated teachers, could not fully meet their needs.
    — Claudia Nachtigal, Baltimore Sun, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • By increasing its manufacturing capacity, the company aims to strengthen its ability to deliver advanced systems to customers.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The florist, which aims to open in late November, will specialize in seasonal floral arrangements and specialty bouquets.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purports.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purports. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster