purpose

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The end for which something is done, is made or exists.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

purpuhs

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɝpəs

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

The end for which something is done, is made or exists.
Sense of having a
Meaning for existing or doing something.
Function, role.
Resolution; determination.

verb

transitive
To have or set as one's purpose or aim; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.
intransitive
To have (an) intention, purpose, or design; to intend; to mean.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The end for which something is done, is made or exists.

Used this way, purpose is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use purpose

“The purpose of turning off the lights overnight is to save energy.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

main purposeprimary purposesole purpose

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

purposefuladjectiveDerived adjective
Serving as or indicating the existence of a purpose or goal.
purposelyadverbDerived adverb
With intention.
purposefullyadverbDerived adverb
In a purposeful manner.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

sense of purposenounCompound term
The quality of having a definite purpose.
to all intents and purposesadverbCompound term
In every practical sense.
cross-purposenounCompound term
A contrary aim.
firmness of purposenounCompound term
The trait of being resolute.
for all intents and purposesadverbCompound term
In every practical sense.
for all practical purposesadverbCompound term
In every practical sense.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to have or set as one's purpose or aim

aimresolve

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.