purpose

purpose

pur‧pose S2 W2 /ˈpɜːpəs $ ˈpɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: purpose, purposefulness ≠ purposelessness; adverb: purposefully ≠ purposelessly, purposely; adjective: purposeful ≠ purposeless]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: purpos, from purposer 'to intend', from Latin proponere; ⇨ propound]
1. [countable] the purpose of something is what it is intended to achieve
purpose of
The purpose of this meeting is to elect a new chairman.
What is the purpose of your visit?
the purpose of doing something
The purpose of conducting a business is to make money.
for the purpose of doing something
Troops were sent solely for the purpose of assisting refugees.
for medical/political/decorative etc purposes
It should be legitimate to use cannabis for medical purposes.
sole/primary/main etc purpose
The protection of children is the primary purpose of this legislation.
serve a purpose (=achieve something)
It would serve no useful purpose to re-open the investigation.
2. [countable] a plan or aim:
Nick had no particular purpose in mind when he started.
sb’s purpose in doing something
Attending the race was not my purpose in coming to Indianapolis.
with the purpose of doing something
He came here with the purpose of carrying out the attack.
3. for ... purposes in a particular situation or when being considered in a particular way:
For tax purposes, you will be treated as a married couple.
The details are, for the present purposes, irrelevant.
for the purposes of something
For the purposes of this book, America is taken to include the continent north of Mexico.
4. on purpose deliberately
do something on purpose
You make it sound as if I did it on purpose!
5. FEELING [uncountable] a feeling of determination to achieve things in life:
It’s so important to have a sense of purpose that it underlies human happiness.
My football career was over and I had no purpose in life.
He possessed great strength of purpose.
6. for all practical purposes (also to all intents and purposes) used to say that something is so close to the truth that it can be considered to be the truth:
The war, to all intents and purposes, was over.
We have a Secretary of State for Scotland who is for all practical purposes a Scottish Prime Minister.
7. serve its purpose if something has served its purpose, it has done what you needed it to do:
We delete the data once it has served its purpose.
8. defeat the purpose to fail to achieve the result you want:
Anxiety will cause tension, which defeats the purpose of the exercise (=the activity or plan).
9. to no purpose formal without any useful results:
She called after them, but to no purpose.
10. to the purpose old-fashioned useful or helpful
⇨ ↑purposely, ↑cross-purposes
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ adjectives
▪ the main/primary purpose The main purpose of our trip to Arran was to see golden eagles.
▪ the sole purpose I used to bake cakes for the sole purpose of giving them away.
▪ the real purpose What was the real purpose of their visit?
▪ the whole purpose (=used for emphasis) The whole purpose of running a business is to make money.
▪ sth’s original purpose The building is no longer needed for its original purpose.
▪ a useful purpose Nuclear weapons serve no useful purpose and should be banned.
▪ a practical purpose These materials are too fine to have a practical purpose in daily life.
▪ a dual purpose (=two purposes) A dog can fulfil a dual purpose by providing both company and security.
▪ a common purpose (=one that people share) We were bound together by a common purpose.
▪ a specific/particular purpose Training is the acquisition of knowledge and skills for a specific purpose.
■ phrases
▪ for political/military/educational/medicinal etc purposes This technology could be used for military purposes.
▪ for business/research etc purposes About one in five of all trips are made for business purposes.
■ verbs
▪ have a purpose A meeting should have a clear purpose.
▪ serve/fulfil a purpose (=be used in a particular way) The building must have served a religious purpose. | Many old school buildings are no longer suitable for fulfilling their original purpose.
▪ achieve your purpose (=achieve what you wanted to achieve) She had achieved her purpose, at least in part.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ purpose the reason you do something, and the thing you want to achieve when you do it: What is the purpose of your visit to England? | The plant is used for medicinal purposes.
▪ aim what you want to achieve when you do something: The main aims of the project are as follows. | Their ultimate aim is to find a cure for cancer.
▪ goal something that you hope to achieve in the future, even though this may take a long time: It took Mandela over forty years to achieve his goal of a democratic South Africa. | the goal of ending child poverty
▪ objective something that you are working hard to achieve, especially in business or politics: The bank achieved its objective of increasing its share of the market. | The government’s long-term objective is to cut CO2 emissions by 50%.
▪ the object of something formal the specific purpose of an activity: The object of the game is to get as many points as possible. | The students will benefit, and that must be the object of the exercise (=the main thing that you are trying to do).
▪ the point the purpose of doing something and the reason why it is right or necessary: At fourteen, I couldn’t see the point of going to school. | What’s the point in waiting? (=I don’t think it is useful or necessary)
▪ intention the purpose that you have in your mind when you do something: He kept his real intentions well hidden. | Although we made a lot of money, this wasn’t our original intention.
▪ ends the result that someone is trying to achieve – used especially when you disapprove of what someone is doing: They are using religion for political ends. | The ends do not justify the means (=you should not use violence, cruelty, dishonest behaviour etc to achieve your aims).