1
[ noun ] an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

Examples

"his intent was to provide a new translation" "good intentions are not enough" "the conscious aim of answering immediate needs" "he made no secret of his designs"

Used in print

(The Atlanta Constitution...)

The jury did not elaborate , but it added that `` there should be periodic surveillance of the pricing practices of the concessionaires for the purpose of keeping the prices reasonable '' .

(The Times-Picayune, [New Orleans]...)

There 's more specialization and a narrower purpose in two albums recently issued by Dover_Publications .

("Editorials"...)

But if his purpose was to inspire terror , his action could hardly have miscarried more obviously .

(Nathan Rapport, ""I've Been Here before!"...)

Hereby , the external object viewed by the eyes remains the thing that is seen , not the retinal image , the purpose of which would be to achieve perceptive cooperation by stirring sympathetic impulses in the other sensory centers , motor tensions , associated word symbols , and consciousness .

(Handbook of Federal Aids to Communities. U.S. Dep...)

A proposed loan must be for sound purposes or sufficiently secured so_as to assure a reasonable chance of repayment .

2
[ noun ] what something is used for

Synonyms

use function role

Examples

"the function of an auger is to bore holes" "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?"

Used in print

(Mr. America, 4:6...)

But for purely definition purposes - used in conjunction with your regular Squatting , Leg_Curling , Leg_Extensor programs - a heavy weight is not needed .

(Tristram P. Coffin, "Folklore in the American Twentieth...)

In America , such self-deception has served a particularly useful purpose .

(Handbook of Federal Aids to Communities. U.S. Dep...)

Purpose of this inventory is to include all eligible productive facilities in SBA 's facilities register so that the small business_concerns may have an opportunity to avail themselves of the services authorized by the Congress in establishing the Small_Business_Administration .

(Raymond C. Binder et al., editors, Proceedings...)

This arrangement had the purpose to prevent heated gas to reach the thermocouple by natural convection .

(LeRoy Fothergill, "Biological Warfare", in Peter...)

There is a broad spectrum of organisms from which selection for a specified military purpose might be made .

3
[ noun ] the quality of being determined to do or achieve something

Synonyms

determination

Examples

"his determination showed in his every movement" "he is a man of purpose"

Used in print

(Musical America, LXXXI:5...)

Your invitation to write_about Serge_Prokofieff to honor his 70_th Anniversary for the April issue of Sovietskaya_Muzyka is accepted with pleasure , because I admire the music of Prokofieff ; and with sober purpose , because the development of Prokofieff personifies , in many ways , the course of music in the Union_of_Soviet_Socialist_Republics .

(James Bryant Conant, Slums and Suburbs...)

Third , the significance of the vocational courses is that those enrolled are keenly interested in the work ; they realize the relevance of what they are learning to their future careers , and this sense of purpose is carried_over to the academic courses which they are studying at_the_same_time .

4
[ verb ] propose or intend

Synonyms

aim propose purport

Examples

"I aim to arrive at noon"

Related terms

intend aim intent

5
[ verb ] reach a decision

Synonyms

resolve

Examples

"he resolved never to drink again"

Related terms

decide resolution

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