📒 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.
📒 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.
📒 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.
- Encouraged by her example, they all set to work with a fresh sense of purpose.
📒 the ability to plan something and work successfully to achieve it
- He has enormous confidence and strength of 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.
📒 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.
📒 not by accident; deliberately
- He did it on purpose, knowing it would annoy her.
- He slammed the door on purpose.
📒 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.
📒 with little/no useful effect or result
- The government had spent a lot on education but to little or no purpose.