PURSE Definition & Meaning

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purse

[ purs ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

handbag ( def 1 ).
Also called change purse [cheynj, purs]. a small bag, pouch, or case for carrying money.
anything resembling a purse in appearance, use, etc.
a sum of money offered as a prize or reward.
a sum of money collected as a present or the like.
money, resources, or wealth.

verb (used with object)

pursed, pursing.

to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker:
to purse one's lips.
to put into a purse.

purse

/ ��ɜː�� /

noun

a small bag or pouch, often made of soft leather, for carrying money, esp coins
a woman's handbag
anything resembling a small bag or pouch in form or function
wealth; funds
a sum of money that is offered, esp as a prize

verb

tr to contract (the mouth, lips, etc) into a small rounded shape

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��ܰ��·�� adjective
��ܰ��·�� adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of purse¹

First recorded before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English purs, blend of pusa “bag” (cognate with Old Norse posi ) and Medieval Latin bursa “bag” (ultimately from Greek ��ý�� “hide, leather”); (verb) Middle English pursen “to put in a purse,” derivative of the noun

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of purse¹

Old English purs, probably from Late Latin bursa bag, ultimately from Greek: leather

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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with purse , also see can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

David Cole of Georgetown University observed that the university had “sacrificed principle to the coercive power of the federal government’s purse.”

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I did enjoy the way Natasha played that scene, clutching the purse and processing with eye blinks as he spoke.

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She emphasised that homelessness has "long term consequences for health and education outcomes", while "the costs to the public purse are significant and rising".

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"But today's revelations demand that we must go further and faster to protect the public purse. I will not tolerate a penny of taxpayers' money being misused," she wrote.

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A good one looks like a vintage red leather purse — weathered, but not quite uniformly, like a Birkin bag belonging to one of the Olsen Twins.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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