Synonyms of purports

purports 1 of 2

noun

plural of purport

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

• contents
• senses
• intentions
• meanings
• intents
• imports
• definitions
• implications
• connotations
• messages
• significances
• themes
• indications
• drifts
• suggestions
• significations
• denotations
• clues
• stuff
• hints
• natures
• topics
• cues
• intimations
• matters
• motives
• essences
• spirits
• subjects
• questions
• burdens
• souls
• essentialities
• inklings
• hearts
• acceptances
• tenors
• points
• acceptations
• kernels
• motifs
• bottoms
• nuclei
• gists
• piths
• cores
• cruxes
• quicks
• nubs
• marrows

purports

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of purport

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

• intends
• plans
• aims
• means
• contemplates
• proposes
• hopes
• tries
• goes
• looks
• purposes
• wishes
• aspires
• calculates
• allows
• attempts
• designs
• considers
• meditates
• figures on
• strives
• dreams
• plots
• debates
• struggles
• accomplishes
• schemes
• performs
• ponders
• achieves
• executes
• mulls (over)
• endeavors
• effects

2

as in alleges

to state as a fact usually forcefully

he purports to be an expert in criminalistics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• alleges
• insists
• claims
• contends
• asserts
• declares
• maintains
• professes
• announces
• affirms
• proclaims
• argues
• avers
• avows
• protests
• confirms
• warrants
• defends
• reasons
• puts forth
• justifies
• rationalizes
• avouches
• vindicates
• broadcasts
• reaffirms
• upholds
• reasserts
• supports
• perseveres

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• denies
• rejects
• abandons
• negates
• disclaims
• disavows
• repudiates
• challenges
• contradicts
• refutes
• gainsays
• disproves
• disputes
• questions
• counters
• rebuts
• disowns
• negatives
• confutes

Example Sentences

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

Thinly veiled advertising that purports to be a news source has a long history, said Patrick Warren, a professor at Clemson University's Media Forensics Hub. — Huo Jingnan, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026

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