purposes 1 of 2

noun

Definition of purposesnext
plural of purpose
1
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish the purpose of the research is to discover how the virus is transmitted

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tasks
the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists still trying to discover her purpose in life

Synonyms & Similar Words

purposes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of purpose
as in plans
to have in mind as a purpose or goal I've been purposing to fix that thing for some time now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposes
  1. goals
  2. plans
  3. intents
  4. intends
  5. objectives
  6. roles
  7. means
  8. intentions
Noun
  • Williams, 31, managed just four goals in NWSL play, down from eight in 2023, and came off the bench in Gotham’s semifinal loss to the Washington Spirit.
    Emily Olsen, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
  • This should have been obvious all along, but that combination of goals will prove to be fundamentally unworkable.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of goals
Verb
  • The Biden administration recently reopened the ICR and PAYE plans to give people more options to pursue loan forgiveness, but the facts on the ground pose a significant barrier for many borrowers.
    Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Salesforce, another investor, plans to use first-party data and AI to make the shopping experience even more personalized.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2024
Definition of plans
Noun
  • There is a third method, hybrid, but for all intents and purposes, business owners are going to use the cash or the accrual method.
    Karla Dennis, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
  • For all intents and purposes this version of Getter 1 is very similar to the one from the original manga and anime from the 70s.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Definition of intents
Verb
  • The company intends to invest the balance of $250 million in growth initiatives.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
  • The largest recipient was The Foundation, a new nonprofit started by Musk that intends to build and operate a K-12 school, and eventually a university, in Austin, Texas.
    Julie Goldenberg, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of intends
Noun
  • This ensures that electronic invoicing processes meet both the common framework's objectives and the localized requirements of individual countries and industries.
    Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
  • This involves leveraging advanced technologies like AI to support strategic initiatives, scenario planning and sustainability objectives.
    Ashok Viswanathan, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
Definition of objectives
Noun
  • Employee dissatisfaction has been growing for some time, with even top performers prioritizing job security over seeking new opportunities due to a lack of confidence in finding better roles.
    Christine Michel Carter, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Her professional journey began at 17 and rapidly evolved through leadership roles at prestigious organizations.
    Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2025
Definition of roles
Verb
  • This threat means than an entire attack force can be protected with a few missiles.
    David Hambling, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
  • This means that any investment in a project concerning AI will educate the staff on an inevitable content area.
    John Sviokla, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Definition of means
Noun
  • However, charismatic killers like Bundy complicate this narrative by blending into society, using their charm and performative social skills as a tool to manipulate others and mask their true intentions.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
  • The main theme of this season, other than greed, seems to be about choices that can be made with pure intentions that lead to bad consequences.
    Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 26 Dec. 2024
Definition of intentions
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near purposes

purposely

purposes

purposing

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Purposes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposes. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on purposes

Nglish: Translation of purposes for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of purposes for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.