purposely

adverb

pur·​pose·​ly ˈpər-pəs-lē How to pronounce purposely (audio)
: with a deliberate or express purpose

Examples of purposely in a Sentence

the real estate agent purposely withheld information that would have discouraged us from buying the property
Recent Examples on the Web For instance, a 2023 LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers found that 15% of self-checkout users purposely stole goods. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 They were also purposely harvested early, giving them a brighter, more earthy taste. Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2024 During the bit, Rodriguez purposely mispronounced the names of celebrities in the audience, like Colman Domingo and John Krasinski, for laughs. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Family members said police have informed them Lugo was accidentally struck by multiple vehicles after a black Ford F-150 appears to have purposely hit him following a fight near the Casa de Licores liquor store. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 And the entire contracting system appears to purposely cloud who is responsible for the worker’s rights, adds Benedict. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 The companies have spent decades lobbying against free tax-filing options, according to a ProPublica report that found H&R Block and Intuit were purposely suppressing their own free filing offerings. Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 In an odd loophole, Vincent’s death is not counted in statewide or federal statistics on police chases because the officer purposely struck his car. Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024 Technical violations can include actions like failing a drug test, missing curfew, being purposely unemployed or visiting a liquor store. Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purposely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of purposely was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near purposely

Cite this Entry

“Purposely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purposely. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

purposely

adverb
pur·​pose·​ly ˈpər-pəs-lē How to pronounce purposely (audio)
: with a clear or known purpose

Legal Definition

purposely

adverb
pur·​pose·​ly
: with a deliberate, conscious, or express purpose : intentionally

More from Merriam-Webster on purposely

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