Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use purpose in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Purpose means the end for which something is done, is made or exists. Example: “What is the purpose of your visit?”

Examples of purpose by meaning

nounThe end for which something is done, is made or exists.

  • What is the purpose of your visit?
  • The device can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

nounFunction, role.

  • The exceptionally small gate-leg table served the purpose of a tea table admirably.
  • As with all life forms, the sole purpose of a virus is to ensure reproduction in kind.1982, Lloyd C. Olson, Virus Infections: Modern Concepts and Status, volume 49, page 2
  • Is it the purpose of mosquitoes to ultimately provide calories to large birds of prey?2009, John Kricher, The Balance of Nature: Ecology's Enduring Myth, page 18

nounMeaning for existing or doing something.

  • Before being hospitalized, Thea filled her days with work that gave her life purpose.2011 October 1, Sarah Jobe, Creating with God: The Holy Confusing Blessedness of Being Pregnant, Paraclete Press, →ISBN
  • This place gave him purpose, gave him joy.2015, Donna Kauffman, Snowflake Bay, Zebra Books, →ISBN, page 338
  • He wanted her to know that she gave him purpose, gave him the will to live after he lost Kaylah.2021 August 13, O. Curtis Jackson, TEN TIMES OVER, Writers Republic LLC, →ISBN

nounResolution; determination.

  • United began with more purpose in the early phase of the second half and Liverpool were grateful for Glen Johnson's crucial block from Young's goalbound shot.2013 September 1, Phil McNulty, BBC Sport
  • Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers.2013 July-August, Sarah Glaz, “Ode to Prime Numbers”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4

verbTo have or set as one's purpose or aim; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.

  • Even purposed it.2011 September 7, Joni Eareckson Tada, Glorious Intruder: God's Presence in Life's Chaos, Multnomah, →ISBN, page 123

More sentences with purpose

  • Latin used to be the European interlanguage. Currently English widely serves this purpose.From the entry interlanguage
  • The site required extensive environmental remediation before it could be used for other purposes.From the entry remediation
  • The building may be used for whatsoever purpose the tenant desires.From the entry whatsoever
  • The dative of purpose is rare in this type of writing.From the entry dative of purpose
  • The intended purpose of antidiscrimination laws is to counteract and reduce inequity.From the entry inequity
  • This treaty, for all intents and purposes, is no longer viable.From the entry for all intents and purposes
  • My misquotation of Hamlet during the Shakespeare lecture brought laughs. I wish I'd done it on purpose.From the entry misquotation
  • This treaty is to all intents and purposes no longer viable.From the entry to all intents and purposes
  • They counted it out for these purposes because their accounting method handles it in another way.From the entry count out
  • Intralingual translation involves adapting a text to a new purpose in the same language.From the entry intralingual
  • The underspecification of the project led to the development of software that was not fit for purpose.From the entry underspecification
  • The main purpose of the not-to-scale drawing was not accuracy, but rather to highlight the appealing features.From the entry not-to-scale
  • The first Rashi on the Torah explores the purpose of the book of Genesis.From the entry rashi
  • When you write your article, select a text type which suits your purpose.From the entry text type
  • The purpose of the voyage was discovery.From the entry discovery
  • These hypotheticals serve no purpose until we have more information.From the entry hypothetical
  • Brithenig was conlanged with the purpose of looking how Welsh might have developed if it were a Romance language.From the entry conlang
  • The program can be utilized for educational purposes.From the entry utilize
  • That wasn't an accident! You did it on purpose!From the entry on purpose
  • The database admin switched on query logging for debugging purposes.From the entry query
  • The authentication method and its details can be treated as a black box for purposes of this security architecture overview.From the entry black box
  • Personal fulfilment comes from having a sense of purpose.From the entry fulfilment
  • According to the terms and conditions, we're allowed to make a single copy of the software for backup purposes.From the entry terms and conditions
  • It was a sobering thought that I had almost killed myself. That was something I wouldn't soon do on purpose again.From the entry sobering
  • This poem is filled with datives of purpose.From the entry dative of purpose
  • For all intents and purposes, the case is closed.From the entry for all intents and purposes
  • To all intents and purposes the case is closed.From the entry to all intents and purposes
  • "I bought a pen and some paper to write a note" is an example of an infinitive of purpose.From the entry infinitive of purpose
  • Dogs can be noseprinted for identification purposes.From the entry noseprint

Meaning of purpose

  1. noun The end for which something is done, is made or exists.
  2. noun Function, role.
  3. noun Meaning for existing or doing something.

Full definition of purpose

Questions about purpose in a sentence

How do you use purpose in a sentence?
Purpose is used as a noun and verb. For example: “What is the purpose of your visit?”
What is a short sentence with purpose?
“Even purposed it.”
What does purpose mean?
Purpose means the end for which something is done, is made or exists.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: purpose (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use purpose in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/purpose. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.