1
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
the purpose of the research is to discover how the virus is transmitted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in roles
the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists
still trying to discover her purpose in life
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in plans
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
I've been purposing to fix that thing for some time now
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 purposes
Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 May 2026
Water conservation The communities of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Orion Township have urged all of their residents to conserve water and use it only for necessary purposes.
—Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 11 May 2026
For all practical purposes, these intrinsically hard-to-prove statements are just as unknowable as the unprovable statements that Gödel identified.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 11 May 2026
ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes.
—Bydeena Zaru, ABC News, 11 May 2026
Sometimes athletes and schools are partnered with the same brand, which can raise booster-like concerns that NIL is being used for enrollment purposes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 May 2026
The information provided is for educational purposes and should not be construed as financial, investment or trading advice.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 11 May 2026
The city has banned an arm in common use for lawful purposes by law-abiding citizens.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
Musk had donated roughly $38 million to the AI company and argues the amount was used for unauthorized commercial purposes instead.
—Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Noun
For all intents and purposes, the bulk of the offseason acquisition for the Dallas Cowboys is wrapped up.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 May 2026
Water conservation The communities of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Orion Township have urged all of their residents to conserve water and use it only for necessary purposes.
—Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 11 May 2026
For all practical purposes, these intrinsically hard-to-prove statements are just as unknowable as the unprovable statements that Gödel identified.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 11 May 2026
ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes.
—Bydeena Zaru, ABC News, 11 May 2026
Sometimes athletes and schools are partnered with the same brand, which can raise booster-like concerns that NIL is being used for enrollment purposes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 May 2026
The information provided is for educational purposes and should not be construed as financial, investment or trading advice.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 11 May 2026
The city has banned an arm in common use for lawful purposes by law-abiding citizens.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
Musk had donated roughly $38 million to the AI company and argues the amount was used for unauthorized commercial purposes instead.
—Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposes
Noun
-
His five goals in all tied Bobby Ryan (2008-09) for the most by a Ducks rookie in a single postseason.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
McNeela has four goals this season.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Cotillard’s daughter, 9, and son, 15, are encouraging their mother to accept more leading roles in studio films.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Essential worker roles include healthcare positions, teachers, military members, fire and police officers, charity workers, social workers, government employees, supermarket staff, and delivery and transport staff.—
Jamie Spain,
Condé Nast Traveler,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The left-leaning Pipeline Fund, which started in 2018, helped Democrats in Florida pick up fifteen school-board seats in 2024, and plans to back candidates in school-board and other down-ballot races across twenty-one states in the next midterms.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
Lufthansa plans to raise airfares to offset higher jet fuel costs.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
To this end, the robot symbolizes changes in moon missions’ objectives from pure observation and sample collection to more of an on-site engineering project.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
The primary objectives to reach that goal include the total removal of Hamas militants from the region, the decommissioning of weapons, and de-radicalization of the Palestinian population.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Leeks also have the same growing needs as onions, and planting them in the same bed can simplify your gardening tasks.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 May 2026
-
The first trimester Maple prides herself on cramming her schedule with meetings, juggling multiple tasks and constantly being on the go.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Our committee intends to determine who was responsible and whether additional reforms or enforcement mechanisms are necessary to protect the public trust and prevent this from ever happening again.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
-
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary intends to resign on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
In the middle of the conflict the thing was about getting the war aims done.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
-
For companies, the key is to have a detailed understanding of the return each dollar provides to successfully achieve both aims.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
That can enable major cost reductions, especially in functions like HR, finance, customer service, and IT.—
Paul Goydan,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
Nadler and the OpenEvidence team aim to expand the service’s AI notetaking, billing and visit integration functions in the coming years.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposes. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
