purpose

noun

UK /ˈpɜː(r)pəs/

Word Forms

singular	purpose
plural	purposes

1
countable the aim that someone wants to achieve, or that something is intended to achieve
I use my boat mainly for leisure purposes.
purpose of:
The purpose of this dictionary is to help students of English.
the purpose of doing something:
The President’s trip will have the purpose of negotiating a peace deal.
for the purpose of doing something:
He went there for the purpose of making business contacts.
someone’s purpose in doing something:
Her sole purpose in being here was to kill some time.
serve/suit/answer someone’s purpose:
You must decide which method suits your purpose best.
serve a purpose (=achieve an aim):
Another meeting would serve absolutely no purpose.
defeat the purpose of something (=make it impossible to achieve the aim that you want to achieve):
Exercising for too long defeats the purpose of doing exercise in the first place.
Synonyms and related words
Purposes and intentions
purpose
role
goal
2
uncountable an aim or meaning in your life because there is something that you want to achieve
Now his life lacks purpose.
a sense of purpose:
The course gave her a new sense of purpose.
Synonyms and related words
Purposes and intentions
purpose
role
goal
3
to use/put something to good purpose
to use something in such a way that it will be helpful or useful
We need to know how to use our available resources to good purpose.
Submitted by:
Prakash Chandra Patel from India on 11/07/2016
Open Dictionary - July2016
4
to work to good purpose
to be to someone’s advantage/benefit
Regular reading is not only to good effect for your mind but also works to good purpose for your success as a journalist of repute.
Submitted by:
Prakash Chandra Patel from India on 03/10/2016
Open Dictionary - October2016

phrases

for no purpose/for no good purpose

for the purpose(s) of something

on purpose

to little/no purpose

purpose ​‌‌‌

to use/put something to good purpose

to work to good purpose

purpose ​‌‌‌

to use/put something to good purpose

to work to good purpose

purpose

purpose