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
Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency that has worked with 13 NCIA graduates in the last 18 months, confirmed that many could not be placed because the positions require a full license for insurance purposes.
—Brendan Hellweg, Baltimore Sun, 9 Mar. 2026
Doors that at a glance appeared to be open were for all intents and purposes closed to them.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are, for all practical purposes, completely dependent on the desalination plants, particularly for metropolises such as Dubai.
—Javier Blas, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
Hegseth made good on the threat on Wednesday, officially informing Anthropic that the company was banned from doing business with the Pentagon and its contractors for defense purposes.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
The Natanz facility was built for uranium enrichment purposes.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 3 Mar. 2026
In Texas, a primary residence typically cannot increase by more than 10% annually for tax purposes, even if the market value rises faster.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
The practice Monday wasn't so much for quality of work purposes, but a chance to simply be together.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency that has worked with 13 NCIA graduates in the last 18 months, confirmed that many could not be placed because the positions require a full license for insurance purposes.
—Brendan Hellweg, Baltimore Sun, 9 Mar. 2026
Doors that at a glance appeared to be open were for all intents and purposes closed to them.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are, for all practical purposes, completely dependent on the desalination plants, particularly for metropolises such as Dubai.
—Javier Blas, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
Hegseth made good on the threat on Wednesday, officially informing Anthropic that the company was banned from doing business with the Pentagon and its contractors for defense purposes.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
The Natanz facility was built for uranium enrichment purposes.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 3 Mar. 2026
In Texas, a primary residence typically cannot increase by more than 10% annually for tax purposes, even if the market value rises faster.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
The practice Monday wasn't so much for quality of work purposes, but a chance to simply be together.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposes
Noun
-
But his candid portrayal of challenges and tech goals on Thursday was far more measured in tone.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Forward Paulinho has six goals and one assist in the 2026 Clausura, while Alexis Vega has returned from injury.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The character got killed off after only one season but afterwards her career took off, with stellar ensemble roles in big-budget films like 2015’s superhero tentpole Fantastic Four and, that same year, Ridley Scott’s massive Matt Damon survival epic The Martian.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Two roles, which absolutely could’ve been an exercise in special effects.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Harare banned exports of raw lithium ore in 2022 and plans to prohibit exports of lithium concentrates by 2027, forcing companies to invest in local processing instead.—
Ray Mwayera,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The association says the nearest cannery, Pacific Coast Producers, plans to rely instead on one-year cash contracts to maximize production at its existing facilities.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Mid-May could bring a brief cluster to navigate, but new fresh air and freedom and intensification of objectives soon follow.—
Magi Helena,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
What are your clear objectives?—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
No workers for mundane tasks Diez revealed that manufacturers worldwide are struggling to find laborers for highly repetitive physical tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
HostArmada puts all its eggs in the virtual machine/virtualization basket, which may impede you from deploying Windows-specific applications, building custom hardware configurations, or running GPU-intensive tasks.—
Gabriel Zamora,
PC Magazine,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Oncor Electric is requesting that the Fort Worth City Council approve the rezoning of a southeast Fort Worth lot containing a power substation that the utility company intends to expand and renovate, documents say.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The offensive fireworks may capture the spotlight, but if SDFC intends to compete on multiple fronts this season, its back line will determine how far this season’s early momentum carries.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Whatever its environmental aims, the bill would also generate a new revenue stream for the state.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Military operations and national purpose will become more and more distanced from each other, because military prowess cannot clarify America’s war aims.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Each beam functions as a pixel.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Cypress facility currently houses corporate functions and the financial services business on roughly 25 acres, the company said.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposes. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
