purpose
noun OPAL WOPAL S
/ˈpɜːpəs/
/ˈpɜːrpəs/
Idioms - [countable] 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 plan achieved its primary purpose, if nothing else.
- The purpose of the book is to provide a complete guide to the university.
- Giving too much advance notice would defeat the purpose of the inspection.
- for the purpose of doing something A meeting was called for the purpose of appointing a new treasurer.
- I moved to London for the sole purpose of working with her.
- for the purpose of something I have included this data for the purpose of comparison.
- with the purpose of doing something This project was launched with the purpose of increasing the number of visitors to the region.
- purpose for something I could find no practical purpose for this app.
- The space station serves several purposes.
- The experiments serve no useful purpose (= are not useful).
Synonyms purposepurpose- aim
- intention
- plan
- point
- idea
- purpose what something is supposed to achieve; what somebody is trying to achieve:
- Our campaign’s main purpose is to raise money.
- aim what somebody is trying to achieve; what something is supposed to achieve:
- She went to London with the aim of finding a job.
- Our main aim is to increase sales in Europe.
- intention what you intend to do:
- I have no intention of going to the wedding.
- She’s full of good intentions but they rarely work out.
- plan what you intend to do or achieve:
- There are no plans to build new offices.
- point (rather informal) the purpose or aim of something:
- What’s the point of all this violence?
- The point of the lesson is to compare the two countries.
- idea (rather informal) the purpose of something; somebody’s aim:
- The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend.
- What’s the idea behind this?
- with the purpose/aim/intention/idea of doing something
- somebody’s intention/plan to do something
- to have a(n) purpose/aim/intention/plan/point
- to achieve/fulfil a(n) purpose/aim
Extra Examples- The school was founded with the express purpose of teaching deaf children to speak.
- a measure introduced for the purpose of protecting the interests of investors
- I put the chair there for a purpose.
- a toy with the dual purpose of entertaining and developing memory skills
- The old mill has been put to good purpose.
- the view that art should serve a social purpose
- The same information can be put to many purposes.
- The drug can be sold for medicinal purposes only.
- He did not want anything to distract him from his purpose.
- She saw being a doctor as her purpose in life.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- limited
- chief
- main
- …
- have
- lack
- accomplish
- …
- for a/the purpose
- on purpose
- at cross purposes
- for the express purpose of something
- with the express purpose of something
- …
- purposes[plural] what is needed in a particular situation
- for… purposes These gifts count as income for tax purposes.
- The building was originally used for commercial purposes.
- for the purposes of something For the purposes of this study, the three groups have been combined.
Extra Examples- For comparative purposes, the populations of three other cities are also shown.
- Let's assume he knows, for the purposes of our argument.
- You will need to have the vehicle valued for insurance purposes.
- [countable, uncountable] meaning that is important and valuable to you
- Volunteer work gives her life a sense of purpose.
- He believes he has finally found a purpose in life.
Extra Examples- Encouraged by her example, they all set to work with a fresh sense of purpose.
- a group of individuals sharing a common purpose
- Teachers need to give a purpose to the activities and assignments they give to students.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- limited
- chief
- main
- …
- have
- lack
- accomplish
- …
- for a/the purpose
- on purpose
- at cross purposes
- for the express purpose of something
- with the express purpose of something
- …
- [uncountable] the ability to plan something and work successfully to achieve it synonym determination
- He has enormous confidence and strength of purpose.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- limited
- chief
- main
- …
- have
- lack
- accomplish
- …
- for a/the purpose
- on purpose
- at cross purposes
- for the express purpose of something
- with the express purpose of something
- …
see also cross purposes
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French porpos, from the verb porposer, variant of proposer, from Latin proponere ‘set forth’ (from pro- ‘forward’ + ponere ‘put’).
Idioms
fit for purpose
- (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.
for (all) practical purposes
- 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.
on purpose
- not by accident; deliberately
- He did it on purpose, knowing it would annoy her.
- He slammed the door on purpose.
to all intents and purposes (especially British English)
(North American English usually for all intents and purposes)
- 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, for all intents and purposes, identical.
to little/no purpose
- (formal) with little/no useful effect or result
- The government had spent a lot on education but to little or no purpose.