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Word purpose
WordType (noun)
Phonetic BrE / ˈpɜːpəs / NAmE / ˈpɜːrpəs /
Example
  • our campaign's main purpose is to raise money.
  • the purpose of the book is to provide a complete guide to the university.
  • a meeting was called for the purpose of appointing a new treasurer.
  • the experiments serve no useful purpose (= are not useful).
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Content

purpose

(noun)BrE / ˈpɜːpəs / NAmE / ˈpɜːrpəs /
  1. the intention, aim or function of something; the thing that something is supposed to achieve
    • Our campaign's main purpose is to raise money.
    • The purpose of the book is to provide a complete guide to the university.
    • A meeting was called for the purpose of appointing a new treasurer.
    • The experiments serve no useful purpose (= are not useful).
    • The building is used for religious purposes.
    • Our campaign’s main purpose is to raise money.
    • She went to London with the aim of finding a job.
    • Our main aim is to increase sales in Europe.
    • I have no intention of going to the wedding.
    • She’s full of good intentions but they rarely work out.
    • There are no plans to build new offices.
    • What’s the point of all this violence?
    • The point of the lesson is to compare the two countries.
    • The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend.
    • What’s the idea behind this?
  2. what is needed in a particular situation
    • These gifts count as income for tax purposes.
    • For the purposes of this study, the three groups have been combined.
  3. meaning that is important and valuable to you
    • Volunteer work gives her life (a sense of) purpose.
  4. the ability to plan something and work successfully to achieve it
    • synonym determination
      https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/determination
    • He has enormous confidence and strength of purpose.
  5. (of an institution, a system, a thing, etc.) suitable for the function or purpose that it was designed for
    • The minister argued that the education system wasn’t fit for purpose.
    • The new executive flats are fully equipped and fit for purpose.
    • I returned the goods as they weren’t fit for purpose.
  6. used when you are stating what the reality of a situation is
    • There's still another ten minutes of the game to go, but for practical purposes it's already over.
  7. not by accident; deliberately
    • He did it on purpose, knowing it would annoy her.
  8. in the effects that something has, if not in reality; almost completely
    • By 1981 the docks had, to all intents and purposes, closed.
    • The two items are, to all intents and purposes, identical.
  9. with little/no useful effect or result
    • The government had spent a lot on education but to little or no purpose.

    Extra Examples

    • Encouraged by her example, they all set to work with a fresh sense of purpose.
    • For comparative purposes, the populations of three other cities are also shown.
    • He slammed the door on purpose.
    • I finally realized that we were talking at cross purposes.
    • I put the chair there for a purpose.
    • Let’s assume he knows, for the purposes of our argument.
    • Nominally she is the secretary, but for all practical purposes she runs the place.
    • She saw being a doctor as her purpose in life.
    • The cycling events will take place in a purpose-built 20 000-seater stadium.
    • The drug can be sold for medicinal purposes only.
    • The old mill has been put to good purpose.
    • The plan achieved its primary purpose, if nothing else.
    • The same information can be put to many purposes
    • The school was founded with the express purpose of teaching deaf children to speak.
    • These bars serve no useful purpose.
    • They had great confidence and strength of purpose.
    • You will need to have the vehicle valued for insurance purposes.
    • a general-purpose cleaning fluid
    • a group of individuals sharing a common purpose
    • a measure introduced for the purpose of protecting the interests of investors
    • a toy with the dual purpose of entertaining and developing memory skills
    • the view that art should serve a social purpose
    • For the purposes of this study, the three groups have been combined.
    • He did not want anything to distract him from his purpose.
    • He has enormous confidence and strength of purpose.
    • Teachers need to give a purpose to the activities and assignments they give to students.
    • The experiments serve no useful purpose.
    • The main purpose of the campaign is to raise money.
    • Volunteer work gives her life a sense of purpose.

    Word Origin

    • Middle English: from Old French porpos, from the verb porposer, variant of proposer, from Latin proponere ‘set forth’ (from pro- ‘forward’ + ponere ‘put’).
Copyright This card's content is collected from the following dictionaries: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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