| 1. | the right or power to manage the disposition of money: in control of the family purse strings. |
| 2. | hold the purse strings, to have the power to determine how money shall be spent. |
| 3. | loosen or tighten the purse strings, to increase or decrease expenditures or the availability of money: The budget committee is in the process of tightening the purse strings. |
