purpose

pur·pose

 (pûr′pəs)

n.

1. The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or goal: Her purpose in coming here is to talk to you. The purpose of an airliner is to transport people. See Synonyms at intention.

2. Determination; resolution: He was a man of purpose.

tr.v. pur·posed, pur·pos·ing, pur·pos·es

To intend or resolve: "the gap between what is said and what is purposed" (Ian Donaldson).

Idioms:

on purpose

Intentionally; deliberately.

to good purpose

With good results.

to little/no purpose

With few or no results.

---

[Middle English purpos, from Anglo-Norman, from purposer, to intend : pur-, forth (from Latin prō-; see pro-¹) + poser, to put; see pose¹.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

purpose

(ˈpɜːpəs)

n

1. the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists

2. a fixed design, outcome, or idea that is the object of an action or other effort

3. fixed intention in doing something; determination: a man of purpose.

4. practical advantage or use: to work to good purpose.

5. that which is relevant or under consideration (esp in the phrase to or from the purpose)

6. archaic purport

7. on purpose intentionally

vb (tr)

to intend or determine to do (something)

[C13: from Old French porpos, from porposer to plan, from Latin prōpōnere to propose]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pur•pose

(ˈpɜr pəs)

n., v. -posed, -pos•ing. n.

1. the reason for which something exists or is done, made, etc.

2. an intended or desired result; aim; goal.

3. determination; resoluteness.

4. the subject in hand; point at issue.

5. practical result or effect: to act to good purpose.

v.t.

6. to intend; design; resolve.

v.i.

7. to have a purpose.

Idioms:

1. on purpose, intentionally.

2. to the purpose, to the point; relevant.

[1250–1300; (n.) Middle English purpos < Old French, derivative of purposer, variant of proposer to propose; (v.) Middle English purposen < Anglo-French, Old French purposer]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

purpose

Past participle: purposed
Gerund: purposing

Imperative

purpose

purpose

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	purpose - an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions; "his intent was to provide a new translation"; "good intentions are not enough"; "it was created with the conscious aim of answering immediate needs"; "he made no secret of his designs" aim, intent, intention, design goal, end - the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it; "the ends justify the means" idea, mind - your intention; what you intend to do; "he had in mind to see his old teacher"; "the idea of the game is to capture all the pieces" cross-purpose - a contrary aim; "at cross-purposes" final cause - (philosophy) the end or purpose of a thing or process sake - the purpose of achieving or obtaining; "for the sake of argument" view - purpose; the phrase `with a view to' means `with the intention of' or `for the purpose of'; "he took the computer with a view to pawning it" will - a fixed and persistent intent or purpose; "where there's a will there's a way"
	2.	purpose - what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?" function, use, role usefulness, utility - the quality of being of practical use raison d'etre - the purpose that justifies a thing's existence
	3.	purpose - the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose; "his determination showed in his every movement"; "he is a man of purpose" determination firmness of purpose, resoluteness, resolve, firmness, resolution - the trait of being resolute; "his resoluteness carried him through the battle"; "it was his unshakeable resolution to finish the work" persistency, pertinacity, tenaciousness, tenacity, doggedness, perseverance, persistence - persistent determination indefatigability, indefatigableness, tirelessness - tireless determination industriousness, diligence, industry - persevering determination to perform a task; "his diligence won him quick promotions"; "frugality and industry are still regarded as virtues"
Verb	1.	purpose - propose or intend; "I aim to arrive at noon" aim, purport, propose intend, mean, think - have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to return early that night"
	2.	purpose - reach a decision; "he resolved never to drink again" resolve decide, make up one's mind, determine - reach, make, or come to a decision about something; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

purpose

noun

1. reason, point, idea, goal, grounds, design, aim, basis, principle, function, object, intention, objective, motive, motivation, justification, impetus, the why and wherefore The purpose of the occasion was to raise money for charity.

2. aim, end, plan, hope, view, goal, design, project, target, wish, scheme, desire, object, intention, objective, ambition, aspiration, Holy Grail (informal) They are prepared to go to any lengths to achieve their purpose.

3. determination, commitment, resolve, will, resolution, initiative, enterprise, ambition, conviction, motivation, persistence, tenacity, firmness, constancy, single-mindedness, steadfastness The teachers are enthusiastic and have a sense of purpose.

4. use, good, return, result, effect, value, benefit, profit, worth, gain, advantage, outcome, utility, merit, mileage (informal), avail, behoof (archaic) Talking about it will serve no purpose.

on purpose deliberately, purposely, consciously, intentionally, knowingly, wilfully, by design, wittingly, calculatedly, designedly Was it an accident, or did she do it on purpose?

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

purpose

noun

1. The proper activity of a person or thing:

function, job, role, task.

2. What one intends to do or achieve:

aim, ambition, design, end, goal, intent, intention, mark, meaning, object, objective, point, target, view, why.

Idioms: end in view, why and wherefore.

3. Unwavering firmness of character, action, or will:

decidedness, decision, decisiveness, determination, firmness, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, resolve, toughness, will, willpower.

verb

To have in mind as a goal or purpose:

aim, contemplate, design, intend, mean, plan, project, propose, target.

Regional: mind.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

عَزْم، تَصْميمغَرَضقَصْد، هَدَفوَظيفَة، غَرَض

účelfunkcerozhodnostsmysl

formålgrundintentionmålmening

ZweckZielzwecksAbsichtBehuf

σκοπός

propósitodeterminaciónfinfunciónintencional

tarkoitus

butdesseindéterminationpropossujet

svrha

szándék

hlutverkstefnufesta, ákveînitilgangur

scopopropositosoggettoappostaargomento

目的

목적

paskirtisspecialiai pastatytas

mērķismērķtiecībanolūkspielietojums

doelnutredenstrekkingbedoeling

formålmål

celpowódtematzagadnieniezamiar

propósito

scop

причинацель

účel

namennamenoma

syfte

วัตถุประสงค์

amaçazimfaydagayekarar

mục đích

目的作用决心意志效果

purpose

[ˈpɜːpəs]

A. N

1. (= intention) → propósito m, objetivo m
we all shared a common purpose → todos teníamos el mismo propósito or objetivo
she has a purpose in life → tiene un objetivo or una meta or un norte en la vida
what was your purpose in going? → ¿con qué intención fuiste?
"purpose of visit" (on official form) → motivo m del viaje
I put that there for a purpose → he puesto eso ahí a propósito or por una razón
this is good enough for our purposes → esto sirve para nuestros fines
he exploited her talent for his own purposes → explotó su talento en beneficio propio
for all practical purposes → en la práctica
for the purposes of this meeting → para los fines de esta reunión
for the purpose of doing sth → con el fin de hacer algo
on purpose → a propósito, adrede
with the purpose of → con el fin de
see also intent B

2. (= use) → uso m, utilidad f
what is the purpose of this tool? → ¿qué uso or utilidad tiene esta herramienta?
it wasn't designed for this purpose → no se diseñó para este fin or uso
to good purpose → provechosamente
it was all to no purpose → todo fue inútil or en vano
you can adapt it to your own purposes → lo puede adaptar a sus necesidades
it serves no useful purpose → no tiene uso práctico, no tiene utilidad práctica
see also serve A2

3. (= determination) → resolución f, determinación f
to have a sense of purpose → tener un rumbo en la vida
he has no sense of purpose → no tiene rumbo en la vida
she has great strength of purpose → tiene muchísima resolución or determinación, es muy resuelta
see also infirm

B. VT (o.f.) to purpose doing sth/to do sth → proponerse or planear hacer algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

purpose

[ˈpɜː^rpəs] n

(= aim) → but m
What is the purpose of these changes? → Quel est le but de ces changements?
his purpose in life → son but dans la vie
for this purpose → à cette intention
We only went there for that purpose → Nous n'y sommes allés qu'à cette intention.
It's not meant for that purpose
BUT Ce n'est pas fait pour ça.
for medicinal purposes → dans un but médicinal
for military purposes → dans un but militaire
for propaganda purposes → dans un but de propagande
for illustrative purposes → à titre d'illustration
for teaching purposes → dans un but pédagogique
for the purposes of this meeting → pour les besoins de cette réunion
to no purpose → en pure perte
to all intents and purposes, for all practical purposes (= in effect) → pour ainsi dire

on purpose adv → exprès
He did it on purpose → Il l'a fait exprès.

(= direction, determination) (in life) a sense of purpose → une motivationpurpose-built [ˌpɜː^rpəsˈbɪlt] adj → spécialement construit(e), ad hoc

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

purpose

n

(= intention) → Absicht f; (= result aimed at, set goal) → Zweck m; on purpose → mit Absicht, absichtlich; what was your purpose in doing this? → was haben Sie damit beabsichtigt?, was war Ihre Absicht dabei?; he did it for or with the purpose of improving his image → er tat es in der Absicht or mit dem Ziel, sein Image zu verbessern; he’s a man with a purpose in life → er ist ein Mensch mit einem Lebensziel; a novel with a purpose → ein Roman, der einen Zweck erfüllen soll; to answer or serve somebody’s purpose(s) → jds Zweck(en) entsprechen or dienen; his activities seem to lack purpose → seine Aktivitäten scheinen nicht zweckgerichtet zu sein; for our purposes → für unsere Zwecke; for the purposes of this meeting → zum Zweck dieser Konferenz; for all practical purposes → in der Praxis; to the purpose → relevant; to some/good/little purpose → mit einigem/gutem/wenig Erfolg; to no purpose → ohne Erfolg

no pl (= resolution, determination) → Entschlossenheit f; strength of purpose → Entschlusskraft f, → Entschlossenheit f; sense of purpose → Zielbewusstsein nt; (of nation) → Ziel nt, → Zielvorstellungen pl; to have a sense of purpose → zielbewusst sein; to have no sense of purpose → kein Zielbewusstsein or kein Ziel haben

vt (liter) → beabsichtigen; to purpose to do something → etw zu tun gedenken

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

purpose

[ˈpɜːpəs] n

a. (intention) → scopo, intenzione f; (use) → uso
she has a purpose in life → ha uno scopo nella vita
for our purposes → per i nostri scopi
for teaching purposes → per l'insegnamento
for the purposes of this meeting → agli effetti di questa riunione
for all practical purposes → a tutti gli effetti pratici, in pratica
on purpose → di proposito, apposta
for illustrative purposes → a titolo illustrativo
to the purpose → a proposito, pertinente
with the purpose of → con il proposito di
to some purpose → con qualche risultato
to no purpose → senza nessun risultato, inutilmente
to good purpose → con buoni risultati

b. (resolution, determination) sense of purpose → risolutezza

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

purpose

(ˈpəːpəs) noun

1. the reason for doing something; the aim to which an action etc is directed. What is the purpose of your visit? doel قَصْد، هَدَف причина propósito účel, smysl der Zweck formål σκοπός propósito, fin; razón eesmärk مقصود؛ هدف tarkoitus but, objetמטרה उद्देश्य, प्रयोजन cél tujuan tilgangur scopo 目的 목적 tikslas mērķis; nolūks tujuan bedoelingformål, hensikt, meningcel هدف،نيت،پلانول propósito scop, obiectiv цель účel, zmysel namen svrha syfte, avsikt วัตถุประสงค์ amaç, gaye 目的 намір, мета مقصد mục đích 目的

2. the use or function of an object. The purpose of this lever is to stop the machine in an emergency. doel وَظيفَة، غَرَض употреба finalidade funkce der Zweck formål σκοπός, λειτουργίαfunción, uso, utilidad ülesanne هدف käyttötarkoitus utilitéמטרה परिणाम cél, funkció fungsi hlutverk funzione 用途 기능 paskirtis pielietojums; nolūks fungsi functieformål, funksjonzadanie, funkcja پلان،هدف finalidade utilitate назначение funkcia namen namena funktion หน้าที่ yarar, fayda 效果，作用 призначення فائدہ، کام chức năng 效果，作用

3. determination. a man of purpose. doelgerigtheid عَزْم، تَصْميم воля determinação rozhodnost die Entschlußkraft beslutsomhed αποφασιστικότηταdeterminación sihikindlus عزم؛ اراده määrätietoisuus déterminationנחישות संकल्प szándék, eltökéltség tekad stefnufesta, ákveðni determinazione 決意 결심 ryžtas mērķtiecība azam vastberadenheidmålbevissthet, besluttsomhet stanowczość اراده،پلان،مقصد determinação voinţă; hotărâre целеустремлённость rozhodnosť odločnost cilj beslutsamhet, målmedvetenhet ความตังใจแน่วแน่ azim, karar 意志，決心 цілеспрямованість, воля عزم و حوصلہ quyết tâm 意志，决心

purposeful adjective

having a definite purpose. with a purposeful look on his face. vasberade هادِف إلى، ذو مَغْزى целенасочен determinado odhodlaný zielbewußt målbevidst αποφασιστικόςdeterminado sihikindel مصمم määrätietoinen déterminéתכליתי दृढ़ संकल्प eltökélt bertujuan stefnufastur deciso, risoluto きっぱりとした 목적 있는, 의도를 가진, 과단성 있는 ryžtingas mērķtiecīgs penuh azam vastberadenmålbevisst, bestemtcelowy د مقصد خاوند determinado ho­tă­rât целеустремлённый odhodlaný odločen odlučan målmedveten ซึงมีจุดประสงค์ kararlı, azimli 有目的的 цілеспрямований بامقصد có chủ định 有目的的

ˈpurposefully adverb

vasberade بصورةٍ هادِفَه، بِمَغْزى целенасочено com determinação odhodlaně zielbewußt målbevidst αποφασιστικά con determinación sihikindlalt قاطعانه määrätietoisesti délibérément בְהֶּחלֵטִיוּת सोद्देश्यता से, संकल्प के साथ eltökélten dengan tujuan af stefnufestu con determinazione きっぱりと 과단성 있게 ryžtingai mērķtiecīgi dgn azam yg kuat vastberadenmålbevisst, bestemtcelowo قاطعانه،په عزم سره com determinação (în mod) deliberat; dinadins целеустремлённо odhodlane odločno odlučno målmedvetet อย่างมีวัตถุประสงค์ kararla, azimle 有目的 цілеспрямовано بامقصد طور پر có chủ định 有目的

ˈpurposeless adjective

having no purpose. purposeless destruction. doelloos دون هَدَف، دون غايَة أو مَغْزى безцелен sem finalidade zbytečný ziellos meningsløs άσκοπος, χωρίς νόημα sin sentido; sin propósito sihitu بی هدف tarkoitukseton inutile חֲסַר מַטָרָה निरूद्देश्यता से céltalan tanpa tujuan tilgangslaus inutile 目的のない 무의미한 betikslis bezjēdzīgs; bezmērķīgs tdk bererti zinloosformålsløs, unyttigbezcelowy بي هدفه،بي مقصده sem finalidade inutil, fără rost бесцельный; бессмысленный zbytočný nesmiseln uzaludan meningslös อย่างไร้จุดประสงค์ amaçsız, maksatsız 無目的的 безцільний بے مقصد không chủ định 无目的的

ˈpurposely adverb

intentionally. He did it purposely to attract my attention. doelbewus قَصْدا، عَمْدا нарочно de propósito záměrně vorsätzlich med vilje επίτηδεςa propósito, expresamente nimme عمداً tarkoituksellisesti exprèsבכוונה जानबूझकर szándékosan dengan sengaja af ásettu ráði di proposito, apposta わざと 의도적으로 tyčia ar nodomu/nolūku dgn sengaja opzettelijk med vilje/hensikt celowo په قصدى ډول de propósito (în mod) ex­pres; dinadins нарочно zámerne namenoma namerno avsiktligt อย่างจงใจ bilerek, kasten 特意地，故意地 спеціально; навмисно جان بوجھ کر có chủ định 特意地，故意地

ˌpurpose-ˈbuilt adjective

made or built for a particular need or purpose. People who use wheelchairs sometimes live in purpose-built houses. doelgebou مبْني لِهَدَفٍ مُعَيَّن специално направен de construção especial účelový spezialgefertigt specialbygget ειδικής κατασκευής construido especialmente (para) kindlal eesmärgil ehitatud برای منظور خاصی ساخته شده varta vasten tehty fonctionnalisé נִבנָה לְמַטָרָה speciális dibangun khusus sérbyggður (costruito appositamente) 特注の (어떤 목적을 위해) 특별히 건립된 specialiai pastatytas īpaša pasūtījuma- dibina khas speciaal gebouwd spesialbygd, tilrettelagt specjalnie przystosowany د خاص هدف لپاره جوړ شوى de construção especial amenajat изготовленный для специальных целей účelový namenski namenski građen specialbyggd ทำขึ้นตามความประสงค์ amaca uygun yapılmış 特意製作的，專用的 спеціально побудований کسي خاص مقصد سے بنايا ہوا được làm với mục đích nhất định 特意制作的，专用的

on purpose

intentionally. Did you break the cup on purpose? aspris عَمْدا، عَن قَصْد нарочно de propósito úmyslně absichtlich med vilje επίτηδεςa propósito, adrede sihilikult عمداً tarkoituksella exprèsבכוונה जानबूझकर इरादतन szándékosan dengan sengaja viljandi apposta わざと 의도적으로 tyčia tīši; ar nodomu dgn sengaja met opzet med vilje/forsett umyślnie په قصدى ډول de propósito dinadins нарочно úmyselne namenoma namerno avsiktligt, med flit อย่างตั้งใจ kasten, mahsus 故意地，為了 спеціально; навмисно جان بوجھ کر cố tình 故意地，为了

serve a purpose

to be useful in some way. dien 'n doel يَفي بالغَرَض имам употреба ter utilidade posloužit k zweckdienlich sein tjene et formål εξυπηρετώ κπ. σκοπό servir de/para algo kasulik olema به درد بخور tarkoituksenmukainen servir à qqch. לְשָרֵת בְּכַווָנָה किसी रूप में उपयोगी होना megfelel céljának berguna gegna hlutverki servire a uno scopo 目的にかなう 유용하다 tikti noderēt; atbilst mērķim dapat digunakan ergens toedienen tjene et formålnadawać się په درد خوړل ter utilidade a servi la ceva годиться poslúžiť na služiti (čemu) poslužiti svrsi tjäna ett syfte เป็นประโยชน์ amaca uygun olmak 對...適合，對...有用 служити певній меті مفيد ہونا có ích 对...适合，对...有用

to no purpose

with no useful results. dien geen doel nie بِدون فائِدَه، بِدون نتيجَةٍ مُفيدَه без резултат em vão bez užitku vergeblich til ingen nytte άσκοπα, ανώφελα en vano tulemusteta بیهوده turhaan en pure perte לְלא תוֹצָאוֹת תַכלִיתִיוֹת व्यर्थ, निरुद्देश्य, निष्प्रयोजन hiába tanpa hasil árangurslaust (senza alcun risultato) むだに 헛되게 tuščiai, veltui bez panākumiem; veltīgi tdk berkesan tevergeefstil ingen nytte bezskutecznie بي فايده em vão fără rost напрасно bez úžitku zaman bez uspeha till ingen nytta ไม่เกิดประโยชน์ boş yere, nafile 不得要領的，徒勞無功 марно; даремно بلا وجہ، بے فائدہ vô ích 不得要领的，不合适的

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

purpose

→ غَرَض účel formål Zweck σκοπός propósito tarkoitus but svrha scopo 目的 목적 doel formål cel propósito цель syfte วัตถุประสงค์ amaç mục đích 目的

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

purpose

n. propósito, intención.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012