purpose
purpose — noun
1. the reason that leads someone to take a particular action, or the result they ho
the reason that leads someone to take a particular action, or the result they hope to reach by doing it
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss new safety rules at the factory.
the purpose of [something] — reason for an event
Harper started jogging every morning with the purpose of building up her strength.
with the purpose of [doing something]
What is the purpose of that small button next to the screen on your laptop?
Lien's purpose in visiting the library was to find old books about Taiwanese history.
The experiment failed but still served a useful purpose by showing what does not work.
文法句型
the purpose of [something]
[someone's] purpose in [doing something]
with the purpose of [doing something]
用法筆記
Frequently used with possessive adjectives (my purpose, his purpose, the purpose). This sense is both countable ('many purposes') and uncountable ('for what purpose?').
常見錯誤
2. if something happens on purpose, it is done deliberately and because the person
if something happens on purpose, it is done deliberately and because the person wanted it to happen, not by accident or chance
Theo tripped his friend on purpose just to make the other kids laugh.
on purpose — deliberately, not by accident
Ayana did not break the glass on purpose — her hand slipped while she washed it.
contrast: on purpose vs by accident
Nobody jumps into an icy river on purpose unless trying to save someone.
Ritu knew her brother hid her shoes on purpose because he was angry.
The driver stopped the bus on purpose to let an old woman cross the street.
- deliberately
more formal than 'on purpose'; 'he deliberately ignored her question'
- intentionally
sounds slightly more neutral; 'she intentionally left the door unlocked'
- by accident
the natural opposite; 'I found the letter by accident while cleaning'
- by mistake
suggests an unintended error; 'I took your bag by mistake'
文法句型
on purpose
用法筆記
This sense only appears in the fixed phrase 'on purpose'. Always used as an adverb meaning 'intentionally'. Cannot be replaced with 'by purpose' or 'for purpose'. The opposite of 'on purpose' is 'by accident' or 'by mistake'.
常見錯誤
3. a firm inner drive that comes from believing your actions have genuine meaning a
a firm inner drive that comes from believing your actions have genuine meaning and value
After retiring, Nila found a new sense of purpose by teaching children how to read.
sense of purpose
Rodrigo trained every morning with great purpose, knowing he was preparing for a national competition.
with great purpose — determination in action
Adaeze felt she lost her purpose in life after the hospital where she worked closed.
The community project gave Henrik a sense of purpose that he had never experienced before.
Volunteering at the animal shelter filled Eli with purpose and made his weekends meaningful.
- determination
focuses on the resolve itself rather than the reason; 'she showed great determination'
- resolve
more formal, suggests firm decision; 'his resolve never weakened'
- drive
informal, suggests energetic motivation; 'she has a lot of drive'
- aimlessness
the state of having no direction or reason; 'he drifted through life with aimlessness'
文法句型
sense of purpose
[someone's] purpose in life
give [someone] purpose
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person. Frequently used with verbs like 'find', 'lose', 'give', 'have'. Often appears in the phrase 'sense of purpose' — this is the most common collocation for this sense. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 asks 'why?' (the reason), while sense 3 describes a deep inner feeling of meaning.
常見錯誤
4. what a given situation demands for something to work properly or produce the des
what a given situation demands for something to work properly or produce the desired effect
A simple hammer will serve our purpose for hanging this picture on the wall.
serve [someone's] purpose
For the purpose of this test, assume the water temperature stays the same.
for the purpose of [something] — formal framing
The old wooden bench served its purpose as a table during our park picnic.
Harper needed a quiet room, and the corner library served that purpose well.
The equipment was old but still fit for purpose, so the team kept using it.
- need
simpler and more direct; 'this tool meets our need'
- requirement
more formal; 'the software satisfies all our requirements'
文法句型
serve [someone's] purpose
for the purpose of [something]
fit for purpose
用法筆記
Common in fixed expressions: 'serve the purpose', 'serve its purpose', 'fit for purpose'. Unlike sense 1, this sense does NOT ask 'why?' — it asks 'is this thing suitable for what we need?' The phrase 'for the purpose of' in this sense introduces a hypothetical or methodological frame.
常見錯誤
5. the specific way something can be used, or the job that a thing or system is mea
the specific way something can be used, or the job that a thing or system is meant to do
This Swiss knife has many purposes — it cuts rope, opens bottles, and removes splinters.
has many purposes — multiple uses
The purpose of a fire extinguisher is to put out small fires before they grow.
Jisoo found a clever purpose for the old boxes by turning them into storage bins.
A smartphone serves the purpose of a camera, a map, and a music player.
The new machine is a dual-purpose tool that both cuts wood and polishes metal surfaces.
文法句型
serve a purpose
have a purpose
[something] has many purposes
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 5 describes the FUNCTION of a thing ('what does it do?'), while sense 1 asks about the REASON ('why was it done?'). For objects, sense 5 is the default meaning. For people's actions, sense 1 is the default.
常見錯誤
purpose — verb
1. to set something as your own aim or goal, and act with the clear intention of ac
to set something as your own aim or goal, and act with the clear intention of achieving it
The organization purposes to provide clean drinking water to every village in the region by 2030.
purpose to [do something] — formal register
The committee purposed to finish its report before the end of the financial year.
The government purposed to reform the national healthcare system after years of public complaints.
Zayd purposed to never give up on his dream of becoming a pilot.
The charity purposes to build twenty new schools in rural areas over five years.
- intend to
the standard modern alternative; 'I intend to finish the project by Friday'
- aim to
suggests a target; 'the company aims to double its sales'
- resolve to
emphasises firm decision; 'she resolved to change her habits'
文法句型
purpose to [do something]
用法筆記
Significantly less common than the noun form. In modern English, 'purpose' as a verb is very formal and sounds literary. 'Intend to' or 'aim to' is much more natural in everyday speech. The verb is almost always followed by a to-infinitive clause.