purposes 1 of 2

noun

plural of purpose
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

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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

purposes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of purpose
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
Noun
No student information is to be disclosed for immigration enforcement purposes without a court order or subpoena, according to state law. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Other independents in the Senate, including Maine's Angus King on the moderate end and Vermont's Bernie Sanders on the left, caucus with Democrats for organizational purposes and committee assignments. — Nicholas Ingram, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026 George Cheeks will become, for all intents and purposes, the most powerful executive in linear TV. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 Each petal serves both structural and aesthetic purposes, enclosing a vast central hall that can accommodate up to 2,500 worshippers. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026 Subscription rights, usage charges, licensing and referral arrangements serve different purposes. — Rishi Katdare, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026 That means being able to continue to control their original maritime border and maintain exclusive rights for fishing, energy, or military purposes. — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Sep. 2026 Assessments Assessment reports like those produced by the US and the IPCC serve several purposes. — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026 The domestication of transposons for new purposes has also been implicated in the evolution of the placenta — a defining feature of nearly all mammals. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposes
  1. goals
  2. roles
  3. plans
  4. objectives
  5. tasks
  6. intends
  7. aims
  8. functions
Noun
  • Mercury in your 10th House quincunxes Saturn in your 3rd, creating friction between your public goals and the details, conversations, or information required to support them.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Income, bills, savings goals and other expenses change over time.
    — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of goals
Noun
  • Marjoe Gortner, who achieved fame as a child evangelist before pivoting to an acting career that included roles in the 1974 film Earthquake and the 1980s primetime soap Falcon Crest, died October 2 from heart complications in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The result is a rogues’ gallery of Murphy regulars reprising multiple roles, including Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, and Jessica Lange.
    — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of roles
Verb
  • The urgency of their push comes as major European companies undergo huge job losses — Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 workers — which experts have said could drive political upheaval.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The president plans to attend Saturday's big college football matchup between Alabama and Georgia, after attending Texas at Tennessee late last month.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of plans
Noun
  • Before meeting with a patient advocate, identify your main objectives – for example, preparing for a transition home, clarifying a treatment plan or understanding medication changes.
    — Jennifer Schlinger, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Its little narrative nips and tucks, its simple additions to the existing record, its notes of humanity draw us into these people’s worlds, their objectives, and their frustrations.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of objectives
Noun
  • State agencies, including the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, have helped local officials with damage assessments and power restoration, among other tasks.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • However, the agreement does not yet specify the humanoid model that will be used for the new logistics applications, the exact logistics tasks to be tested, the number of robots involved, or a timetable for routine deployment.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tasks
Verb
  • Parker also said Boeing intends to maintain its focus on quality as production increases.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Ellison intends to focus on the company’s long-term strategy, creative vision and direction, including talent relationships, strategic partnerships, technology and capital allocation.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of intends
Noun
  • The mix of modern and vintage aims to make customers feel fully immersed in the world of Coach.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The Street loves this stock for some unfathomable reason, even as the company is antithetical to its aims.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of aims
Noun
  • There’s a fair amount of urination in the book, among other bodily functions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Anonymous quantitative surveys can identify patterns across teams, functions and organizational levels, while confidential qualitative interviews or focus groups can reveal the experiences and organizational conditions behind those patterns.
    — Gwen Mdinaradze, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of functions

Browse Nearby Words

purposely
purposes
purposing
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Cite this Entry

“Purposes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposes. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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