Meaning of "purpose" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD PURPOSE

From Old French porpos, from porposer to plan, from Latin prōpōnere to propose.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF PURPOSE

purpose  [ˈpɜːpəs]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PURPOSE

Purpose is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb purpose in English.

WHAT DOES PURPOSE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Intention

Intention is an agent's specific purpose in performing an action or series of actions, the end or goal that is aimed at. Outcomes that are not anticipated and not foreseen are known as unintended consequences. Intentional behavior can also be just thoughtful and deliberate goal-directedness. Recent research in experimental philosophy has shown that other factors may also matter for whether or not an action is counted as intentional.

Definition of purpose in the English dictionary

The first definition of purpose in the dictionary is the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists. Other definition of purpose is a fixed design, outcome, or idea that is the object of an action or other effort. Purpose is also fixed intention in doing something; determination.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO PURPOSE

PRESENT

Present

I purpose

you purpose

he/she/it purposes

we purpose

you purpose

they purpose

Present continuous

I am purposing

you are purposing

he/she/it is purposing

we are purposing

you are purposing

they are purposing

Present perfect

I have purposed

you have purposed

he/she/it has purposed

we have purposed

you have purposed

they have purposed

Present perfect continuous

I have been purposing

you have been purposing

he/she/it has been purposing

we have been purposing

you have been purposing

they have been purposing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I purposed

you purposed

he/she/it purposed

we purposed

you purposed

they purposed

Past continuous

I was purposing

you were purposing

he/she/it was purposing

we were purposing

you were purposing

they were purposing

Past perfect

I had purposed

you had purposed

he/she/it had purposed

we had purposed

you had purposed

they had purposed

Past perfect continuous

I had been purposing

you had been purposing

he/she/it had been purposing

we had been purposing

you had been purposing

they had been purposing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will purpose

you will purpose

he/she/it will purpose

we will purpose

you will purpose

they will purpose

Future continuous

I will be purposing

you will be purposing

he/she/it will be purposing

we will be purposing

you will be purposing

they will be purposing

Future perfect

I will have purposed

you will have purposed

he/she/it will have purposed

we will have purposed

you will have purposed

they will have purposed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been purposing

you will have been purposing

he/she/it will have been purposing

we will have been purposing

you will have been purposing

they will have been purposing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would purpose

you would purpose

he/she/it would purpose

we would purpose

you would purpose

they would purpose

Conditional continuous

I would be purposing

you would be purposing

he/she/it would be purposing

we would be purposing

you would be purposing

they would be purposing

Conditional perfect

I would have purpose

you would have purpose

he/she/it would have purpose

we would have purpose

you would have purpose

they would have purpose

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been purposing

you would have been purposing

he/she/it would have been purposing

we would have been purposing

you would have been purposing

they would have been purposing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you purpose
we let´s purpose
you purpose

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to purpose

Past participle

purposed

Present Participle

purposing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «PURPOSE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «purpose» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of purpose

advantage · aim · ambition · aspiration · aspire · avail · basis · behoof · benefit · commitment · constancy · contemplate · conviction · decide · design · desire · determination · determine · effect · end · enterprise · firmness · function · gain · goal · good · grounds · Holy Grail · hope · idea · impetus · initiative · intend · intention · justification · mean · meditate · merit · mileage · motivation · motive · object · objective · outcome · persistence · plan · point · principle · profit · project · propose · reason · resolution · resolve · result · return · scheme · single-mindedness · steadfastness · target · tenacity · use · utility · value · view · will · wish · worth

TRANSLATION OF PURPOSE

Find out the translation of purpose to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of purpose from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «purpose» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 目的
• Translator English - Spanish: propósito
• English: purpose
• Translator English - Hindi: उद्देश्य
• Translator English - Arabic: غَرَض
• Translator English - Russian: цель
• Translator English - Portuguese: propósito
• Translator English - Bengali: উদ্দেশ্য
• Translator English - French: but
• Translator English - Malay: Tujuan
• Translator English - German: Zweck
• Translator English - Japanese: 目的
• Translator English - Korean: 목적
• Translator English - Javanese: Waé
• Translator English - Vietnamese: mục đích
• Translator English - Tamil: நோக்கம்
• Translator English - Marathi: उद्देश
• Translator English - Turkish: amaç
• Translator English - Italian: scopo
• Translator English - Polish: cel
• Translator English - Ukrainian: мета
• Translator English - Romanian: scop
• Translator English - Greek: σκοπός
• Translator English - Afrikaans: doel
• Translator English - Swedish: syfte
• Translator English - Norwegian: formål

10 QUOTES WITH «PURPOSE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word purpose.

1

Peter Ackroyd

In 'The Plato Papers' I wanted to get another perspective on the present moment by extrapolating into the distant future. So in that sense, there's a definite similarity of purpose between a book set in the future and a book set in the past.

2

Mortimer Adler

The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.

3

Anastacia

To make a difference is just... I think... the purpose of what life is.

4

Liberty Hyde Bailey

The true purpose of education is to teach a man to carry himself triumphant to the sunset.

5

Richard Ben-Veniste

In an age when many of our citizens casually reveal information about themselves in social media wildly beyond anything imaginable only a decade ago, it would seem to be a useful exercise in civics to re-educate the public about the value and purpose of protecting against unwarranted government intrusion.

6

Walter Benjamin

It is precisely the purpose of the public opinion generated by the press to make the public incapable of judging, to insinuate into it the attitude of someone irresponsible, uninformed.

7

Vinoba Bhave

All revolutions are spiritual at the source. All my activities have the sole purpose of achieving a union of hearts.

8

Kathryn Bigelow

For some individuals - some soldiers, some contractors - combat provides a kind of purpose and meaning beyond which all else potentially pales in comparison.

9

Catherine Drinker Bowen

If art has a purpose, it is to interpret life, reproduce it in fresh visions.

10

Kenneth Burke

Our purpose is simply to ask how theological principles can be shown to have usable secular analogues that throw light upon the nature of language.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PURPOSE»

Discover the use of purpose in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to purpose and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

A Dog's Purpose: A novel for humans

This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives.

W. Bruce Cameron, 2011

Your Life on Purpose: How to Find What Matters and Create ...

Explains how readers who feel lost in life--especially those affected by the recent economic downturn--can reclaim their lives by turning values into clear intentions and intentions into committed action. Original.

Matthew McKay, John P. Forsyth, Georg H. Eifert, 2010

The Surprising Purpose of Anger: Beyond Anger Management: ...

The tenets of Nonviolent Communication (1892005034) are applied to a variety of settings in these booklets on how to resolve conflict peacefully.

Marshall Rosenberg, 2005

The Purpose-driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

Offers spiritual fulfillment through an understanding of God's plan for a meaningful life.

Richard Warren, 2002

Passion and Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest ...

Globalization. Sustainability. Technology. Diversity. Learning. Convergence of the public and private sectors. These are the big issues on the minds of young leaders today—the challenges they most want to, and must, pursue.

John Coleman, Daniel Gulati, W. Segovia, 2013

The Purpose of Playing: Modern Acting Theories in Perspective

The book presents a comparative survey of the major approaches to Western acting since the nineteenth century, their historical evolution, and their relationship to one another.

Robert Gordon, 2006

Leading Small Groups with Purpose: Everything You Need to ...

I look forward to this book's impact on your small group leaders."--Larry Stockstill, senior pastor, Bethany World Prayer Center "I'm so glad Steve Gladen wrote this book!

Steve Gladen, 2012

Practice with Purpose: Literacy Work Stations for Grades 3-6

Shows teachers how to establish and manage literacy learning centers, small areas of the classroom that contain supplies allowing for self-directed learning.

Debbie Diller, 2005

Pricing on Purpose: Creating and Capturing Value

This book calls attention to the market share fallacy, explains the difference between cost-plus pricing and value pricing, and provides best-practice pricing examples.

Ronald J. Baker, 2010

Maximizing Success Through Your Divine Purpose: The Path To ...

In "Maximizing Success Through Your Divine Purpose," Fatima Edwards uses powerful principles from God's Word, and shares her real-life testimony, to illustrate how you can answer the mystifying question, "What is God's special plan for me?

Fatima Edwards, 2004

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PURPOSE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term purpose is used in the context of the following news items.

Hilton Worldwide Awards Travel with Purpose Action Grants

“The Travel with Purpose Action Grants program provides a vehicle for our hotels and offices to work with local community organizations and develop ... «Business Wire, Jul 15»

Gun control: The all-purpose, go-to, knee-jerk solution

It's the all-purpose, go-to, knee-jerk solution. Within hours of the massacre, President Obama was lamenting the absence of progress on gun control. A particular ... «The News Journal, Jun 15»

The purpose of life is simply to live it fully

In a recent column, I asked readers if they had discovered a purpose in life and, if so, how they had discovered it. A few thousand wrote essays. I was struck by ... «The Seattle Times, Jun 15»

A sense of purpose is good for your brain

It's a topic that fascinates us because so much of our work is devoted to helping Canadian youth, and people in developing countries, find purpose in their lives ... «The North Bay Nugget, May 15»

Higher purpose in life tied to better brain health

(Reuters Health) - People with a high sense of purpose in life have a lower risk of stroke, according to new research. "We and others have shown that purpose in ... «Reuters, Apr 15»

A Sense of Purpose May Benefit Your Brain

THURSDAY, March 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Having a strong sense of purpose in life may lower the likelihood of brain tissue damage in older adults, new ... «WebMD, Mar 15»

A Sense of Purpose May Help Your Heart

FRIDAY, March 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Living your life with a strong sense of purpose may lower your risk for early death, heart attack or stroke, new ... «U.S. News & World Report, Mar 15»

GM regulation 'not fit for purpose', says Commons committee – and …

Current regulation is not fit for purpose; we should regulate specific traits, not the method by which they are delivered, in each member state. As they themselves ... «The Conversation UK, Feb 15»

Business needs to reset its purpose to attract Millennials, according …

NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Business should focus on people and purpose, not just products and profits in the 21st century according to Deloitte ... «PR Newswire, Jan 15»

Miss World drops bikini round, stressing 'beauty with purpose'

The Miss World pageant is to ditch the bikini round after 63 years as the organizers say that this is not the path the contestants are trying to take and it doesn't ... «RT, Dec 14»