Purpose — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

what something is used for

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/pˈɜːpəs/

🇬🇧British English

/pˈɜːpəs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/pˈɜːpəs/

2 syllables Say it as /pˈɜːpəs/.

Examples

his intent was to provide a new translation
good intentions are not enough
it was created with the conscious aim of answering immediate needs

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

resolve aim propose purport role intention function intent design determination use

Parts of Speech

noun	an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions “his intent was to provide a new translation”
noun	what something is used for “the function of an auger is to bore holes”
noun	the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose “his determination showed in his every movement”
verb	propose or intend “I aim to arrive at noon”
verb	reach a decision “he resolved never to drink again”

Word Forms

purpose	verb	propose or intend
intend	verb	have in mind as a purpose
aim	verb	propose or intend
design	verb	intend or have as a purpose
function	verb	serve a purpose, role, or function
aim	noun	the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)
purpose	noun	the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose
purport	noun	the intended meaning of a communication
resolve	noun	a formal expression by a meeting; agreed to by a vote
resolution	noun	a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Zweck

ein erwartetes Ergebnis, das beabsichtigt ist oder das Ihre geplanten Aktionen leitet

🇫🇷French

but

un résultat anticipé qui est prévu ou qui guide vos actions planifiées

🇪🇸Spanish

objetivo

un resultado previsto que se pretende o que guía las acciones planificadas

🇮🇹Italian

scopo

un risultato previsto previsto o che guida le azioni pianificate

🇳🇱Dutch

doel

een verwachte uitkomst die bedoeld is of die uw geplande acties begeleidt

🇵🇹Portuguese

propósito

um resultado antecipado que é pretendido ou que orienta suas ações planejadas

🇷🇺Russian

цель

ожидаемый результат, который запланирован или который определяет ваши запланированные действия

India

🇮🇳Hindi

उद्देश्य

एक प्रत्याशित परिणाम जो इच्छित है या जो आपके नियोजित कार्यों का मार्गदर्शन करता है

🇧🇩Bengali

উদ্দেশ্য

একটি প্রত্যাশিত ফলাফল যা অভিপ্রেত বা যা আপনার পরিকল্পিত ক্রিয়াগুলিকে গাইড করে

🇮🇳Tamil

நோக்கம்

உத்தேசிக்கப்பட்ட அல்லது உங்கள் திட்டமிட்ட செயல்களுக்கு வழிகாட்டும் ஒரு எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட விளைவு

🇮🇳Telugu

ప్రయోజనం

ఉద్దేశించిన లేదా మీ ప్రణాళికాబద్ధమైన చర్యలకు మార్గనిర్దేశం చేసే ఊహించిన ఫలితం

🇮🇳Marathi

उद्देश

अपेक्षित परिणाम किंवा जो तुमच्या नियोजित कृतींचे मार्गदर्शन करतो

🇮🇳Gujarati

હેતુ

એક અપેક્ષિત પરિણામ જેનો હેતુ છે અથવા જે તમારી આયોજિત ક્રિયાઓને માર્ગદર્શન આપે છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಉದ್ದೇಶ

ಉದ್ದೇಶಿತ ಅಥವಾ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಯೋಜಿತ ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನ ನೀಡುವ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತ ಫಲಿತಾಂಶ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ഉദ്ദേശ്യം

ഉദ്ദേശിച്ചതോ നിങ്ങളുടെ ആസൂത്രിത പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളെ നയിക്കുന്നതോ ആയ ഒരു പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ച ഫലം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਮਕਸਦ

ਇੱਕ ਅਨੁਮਾਨਿਤ ਨਤੀਜਾ ਜੋ ਇਰਾਦਾ ਹੈ ਜਾਂ ਜੋ ਤੁਹਾਡੀਆਂ ਯੋਜਨਾਬੱਧ ਕਾਰਵਾਈਆਂ ਦਾ ਮਾਰਗਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

مقصد

ایک متوقع نتیجہ جس کا مقصد ہے یا جو آپ کے منصوبہ بند اعمال کی رہنمائی کرتا ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

目的

预期的结果或指导您计划的行动

🇯🇵Japanese

目的

意図された、または計画された行動の指針となる予想される結果

🇰🇷Korean

목적

의도되었거나 계획된 행동을 안내하는 예상 결과

🇻🇳Vietnamese

mục đích

một kết quả dự đoán được dự định hoặc hướng dẫn các hành động đã lên kế hoạch của bạn

🇹🇭Thai

วัตถุประสงค์

ผลลัพธ์ที่คาดหวังซึ่งมีจุดมุ่งหมายหรือเป็นแนวทางในการดำเนินการตามแผนของคุณ

🇮🇩Indonesian

tujuan

hasil yang diharapkan atau yang memandu tindakan yang Anda rencanakan

🇵🇭Filipino

layunin

isang inaasahang resulta na nilayon o gumagabay sa iyong mga nakaplanong aksyon

🇲🇾Malay

tujuan

hasil yang dijangkakan yang dimaksudkan atau yang membimbing tindakan yang dirancang anda

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

غاية

النتيجة المتوقعة المقصودة أو التي توجه أفعالك المخططة

🇮🇷Persian

هدف

نتیجه پیش بینی شده ای که در نظر گرفته شده است یا اقدامات برنامه ریزی شده شما را هدایت می کند

🇹🇷Turkish

amaç

amaçlanan veya planladığınız eylemlere rehberlik eden beklenen bir sonuç

🇮🇱Hebrew

מַטָרָה

תוצאה צפויה המיועדת או שמנחה את הפעולות המתוכננות שלך

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'purpose'?

The primary meaning of 'purpose' is 'an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'purpose' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'purpose' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'purpose' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'purpose' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'purpose' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'purpose' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'purpose' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'purpose' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'purpose' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'purpose' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted