0 why you do something or why something exists: --
The fabric I bought isn't exactly what I wanted, but it will serve my purposes (= fulfil my needs).
We haven't yet managed to find new premises that are suitable for our purposes.
Parenthood would give him a sense of purpose.
I didn't do it on purpose - it was an accident.
He gave her a sum of money which she used to good purpose (= well).
I can see no useful purpose in continuing this conversation.
Letters whose sole purpose is to make a political point will not be published.
I came to Brighton for/with the express purpose of seeing you.
Her main/primary purpose in suing the newspaper for libel was to clear her name.
The purpose of the research is to try to find out more about the causes of the disease.
1 an intention or aim; a reason for doing something or for allowing something to happen: --
3 the reason for doing something or the reason that something exists: --
You need to assure shareholders that their investment is being used to good purpose.
for tax/business/insurance purposes He pays himself a small salary for tax purposes.
I went to the conference with the sole purpose of advertising our services.
with/for the purpose of (doing) sth He learnt Chinese for the express purpose of starting a business there.
sb's purpose in doing sth My purpose in calling this meeting was to remind everyone of some basic rules.
4 determination or a feeling of having a reason for what you do: --
5 a need of a particular person or organization: --
The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework for adequate assessment procedures to testing foreign language vocabulary.
The cost of purpose-built manufacturing facilities and chemical synthesis are a critical barrier to the commercial development of many potential pesticides.
For our present purpose it is enough to ask what quantity the numerical solution is supposed to approximate, at least to a first-order approximation.
Are we being told the whole story, or only that part of it which suits the author's purpose?
They were told that the purpose of the procedure was to observe the child trying to wait.
This suggests that it is important for environmental purposes to model the response of technical change to trade.
But the central question surrounding bower birds was the purpose of the bowers.
Although recruits were informed of the purpose of the interview, they were not provided with a copy of the interview schedule in advance.
