purpose

purpose — noun

1. the reason that leads someone to take a particular action, or the result they ho

1.nounB1
Definition

the reason that leads someone to take a particular action, or the result they hope to reach by doing it

Example

The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss new safety rules at the factory.

the purpose of [something] — reason for an event

Harper started jogging every morning with the purpose of building up her strength.

with the purpose of [doing something]

Common collocations
  • main purpose
  • primary purpose
  • underlying purpose
  • sole purpose
  • the purpose of
  • for the purpose of
  • with the purpose of
Synonyms
  • aim

    suggests a more specific target than purpose; 'the aim of the project is to raise $10,000'

  • goal

    emphasises an endpoint you work towards over time; 'her goal is to become a doctor'

  • intention

    focuses on what someone plans to do; 'it was never my intention to upset you'

Grammar Patterns

the purpose of [something]

[someone's] purpose in [doing something]

with the purpose of [doing something]

Usage Note

Frequently used with possessive adjectives (my purpose, his purpose, the purpose). This sense is both countable ('many purposes') and uncountable ('for what purpose?').

Common Mistakes

The purpose of the meeting is discuss the budget.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the budget.
after 'purpose of [noun] is', use the to-infinitive, not the bare verb.

2. if something happens on purpose, it is done deliberately and because the person

2.nounB1
Definition

if something happens on purpose, it is done deliberately and because the person wanted it to happen, not by accident or chance

Example

Theo tripped his friend on purpose just to make the other kids laugh.

on purpose — deliberately, not by accident

Ayana did not break the glass on purpose — her hand slipped while she washed it.

contrast: on purpose vs by accident

Common collocations
  • on purpose
Synonyms
  • deliberately

    more formal than 'on purpose'; 'he deliberately ignored her question'

  • intentionally

    sounds slightly more neutral; 'she intentionally left the door unlocked'

Antonyms
  • by accident

    the natural opposite; 'I found the letter by accident while cleaning'

  • by mistake

    suggests an unintended error; 'I took your bag by mistake'

Grammar Patterns

on purpose

Usage Note

This sense only appears in the fixed phrase 'on purpose'. Always used as an adverb meaning 'intentionally'. Cannot be replaced with 'by purpose' or 'for purpose'. The opposite of 'on purpose' is 'by accident' or 'by mistake'.

Common Mistakes

She did it by purpose.
She did it on purpose.
the fixed phrase is 'on purpose', never 'by purpose'.
I came here for the purpose of helping you.' (confusing sense 2 with sense 1)
I came here on purpose to help you.
use 'on purpose' when you mean 'intentionally'; use 'for the purpose of' when stating the reason.

3. a firm inner drive that comes from believing your actions have genuine meaning a

3.nounB2
Definition

a firm inner drive that comes from believing your actions have genuine meaning and value

Example

After retiring, Nila found a new sense of purpose by teaching children how to read.

sense of purpose

Rodrigo trained every morning with great purpose, knowing he was preparing for a national competition.

with great purpose — determination in action

Common collocations
  • sense of purpose
  • find purpose
  • lose purpose
  • purpose in life
  • give purpose
  • lack purpose
Synonyms
  • determination

    focuses on the resolve itself rather than the reason; 'she showed great determination'

  • resolve

    more formal, suggests firm decision; 'his resolve never weakened'

  • drive

    informal, suggests energetic motivation; 'she has a lot of drive'

Antonyms
  • aimlessness

    the state of having no direction or reason; 'he drifted through life with aimlessness'

Grammar Patterns

sense of purpose

[someone's] purpose in life

give [someone] purpose

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person. Frequently used with verbs like 'find', 'lose', 'give', 'have'. Often appears in the phrase 'sense of purpose' — this is the most common collocation for this sense. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 asks 'why?' (the reason), while sense 3 describes a deep inner feeling of meaning.

Common Mistakes

I need a purpose of my life.
I need a purpose in my life.
use 'in', not 'of', when talking about meaning in one's life.

4. what a given situation demands for something to work properly or produce the des

4.nounB2
Definition

what a given situation demands for something to work properly or produce the desired effect

Example

A simple hammer will serve our purpose for hanging this picture on the wall.

serve [someone's] purpose

For the purpose of this test, assume the water temperature stays the same.

for the purpose of [something] — formal framing

Common collocations
  • serve the purpose
  • serve its purpose
  • serve someone's purpose
  • fit for purpose
  • for the purpose of
  • suitable for the purpose
Synonyms
  • need

    simpler and more direct; 'this tool meets our need'

  • requirement

    more formal; 'the software satisfies all our requirements'

Grammar Patterns

serve [someone's] purpose

for the purpose of [something]

fit for purpose

Usage Note

Common in fixed expressions: 'serve the purpose', 'serve its purpose', 'fit for purpose'. Unlike sense 1, this sense does NOT ask 'why?' — it asks 'is this thing suitable for what we need?' The phrase 'for the purpose of' in this sense introduces a hypothetical or methodological frame.

Common Mistakes

This knife serves the purpose of cutting.' (sounds unnatural)
This knife serves its purpose as a cutting tool.
'serve the purpose' is better followed by 'as [noun]' than 'of [verb]-ing'.

5. the specific way something can be used, or the job that a thing or system is mea

5.nounB1
Definition

the specific way something can be used, or the job that a thing or system is meant to do

Example

This Swiss knife has many purposes — it cuts rope, opens bottles, and removes splinters.

has many purposes — multiple uses

The purpose of a fire extinguisher is to put out small fires before they grow.

Common collocations
  • serve a purpose
  • have a purpose
  • dual purpose
  • multi-purpose
  • all-purpose
Synonyms
  • function

    more technical; 'the function of the heart is to pump blood'

  • use

    simpler and more everyday; 'what is the use of this tool?'

Grammar Patterns

serve a purpose

have a purpose

[something] has many purposes

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 5 describes the FUNCTION of a thing ('what does it do?'), while sense 1 asks about the REASON ('why was it done?'). For objects, sense 5 is the default meaning. For people's actions, sense 1 is the default.

Common Mistakes

The purpose of this phone is make calls.
The purpose of this phone is to make calls.
after 'the purpose of [noun] is', use the to-infinitive form.
Idioms

fit for purpose

idiom

Something that is fit for purpose works well for what it was made to do.

The new software is fast and fit for purpose.

Is this old machine still fit for purpose?

for (all) practical purposes

idiom

This phrase describes what is true in real situations, even if not exactly true.

The project is, for all practical purposes, finished.

For practical purposes, the two plans are the same.

on purpose

idiom

If you do something on purpose, you mean to do it, not by accident.

Maya spilled her drink on purpose to get attention.

Did you break that vase on purpose?

to all intents and purposes

idiom

This phrase means that something is almost completely true, even if not exactly.

The old factory is, to all intents and purposes, abandoned.

To all intents and purposes, the deal is done.

to little/no purpose

idiom

If something is done to little or no purpose, it has almost no useful result.

He argued for hours, but to no purpose.

The team worked hard, yet to little purpose.

purpose — verb

Word family

  • purposeful
    adjectiveB2
  • purposefully
    adverbB2
  • purposely
    adverbB2
  • purposeless
    adjectiveC1
  • purpose-built
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words relate to something you want to achieve, but they differ in scope and concreteness. 'Purpose' is the broadest — it answers 'why does this exist or happen?' ('the purpose of the meeting'). 'Aim' is more specific: the direction you are heading ('her aim is to improve customer service'). 'Goal' suggests a clear endpoint that takes effort over time ('his goal is to run a marathon'). 'Intention' is about what someone plans to do, regardless of outcome ('it was never my intention to upset anyone'). 'Objective' is the most concrete and measurable, often used in business or military contexts ('our objective is to reduce costs by 15%'). In everyday language: 'My purpose in life is to help others' (broad meaning), but 'My goal this year is to learn Spanish' (specific target).

purpose ↗aim ↗goal ↗intention ↗objective ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'purpose' entered English through Old French 'porpos' ('aim, intention'), which came from the verb 'porposer' — a combination of 'pur-' (forward) and 'poser' (to place, put). The core idea is 'something you put forward or set before yourself.' The French verb traces further back to Latin 'proponere' ('to set forth, propose'), from 'pro-' (forward) and 'ponere' (to place). The sense of 'determination' (sense 3) developed later, in the 18th century, as the idea of having a fixed purpose became associated with personal resolve.