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Definition of purchase - 5 dictionary results
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pur⋅chase

  [pur-chuhs] verb, -chased, -chas⋅ing, noun
Use purchase in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to acquire by the payment of money or its equivalent; buy.
2. to acquire by effort, sacrifice, flattery, etc.
3. to influence by a bribe.
4. to be sufficient to buy: Twenty dollars purchases a subscription.
5. Law. to acquire (land or other property) by means other than inheritance.
6. to move, haul, or raise, esp. by applying mechanical power.
7. to get a leverage on; apply a lever, pulley, or other aid to.
8. Obsolete. to procure, acquire, or obtain.
–verb (used without object)
9. to buy something.
–noun
10. acquisition by the payment of money or its equivalent; buying, or a single act of buying.
11. something that is purchased or bought.
12. something purchased, with respect to value in relation to price; buy: At three for a dollar they seemed like a good purchase.
13. Law. the acquisition of land or other property by means other than inheritance.
14. acquisition by means of effort, labor, etc.: the purchase of comfort at the price of freedom.
15. a lever, pulley, or other device that provides mechanical advantage or power for moving or raising a heavy object.
16. an effective hold or position for applying power in moving or raising a heavy object; leverage.
17. any means of applying or increasing power, influence, etc.
18. the annual return or rent from land.
19. a firm grip or grasp, footing, etc., on something.
20. Obsolete. booty.
Origin:
bef. 1150; (v.) ME purchasen < AF purchacer to seek to obtain, procure (OF pourchacier), equiv. to pur- (< L prō pro 1 ) + chacer to chase 1 ; (n.) ME < AF purchas (OF porchas), deriv. of the v.

Related forms:
pur⋅chas⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. get, obtain, procure. See buy. 15. winch, capstan.

Antonyms:
1. sell.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pur·chase   (pûr'chĭs)   
tr.v.   pur·chased, pur·chas·ing, pur·chas·es

  1. To obtain in exchange for money or its equivalent; buy.

  2. To acquire by effort; earn.

  3. To move or hold with a mechanical device, such as a lever or wrench.

n.  

    1. The act or an instance of buying.

    2. Something bought.

    3. Acquisition through the payment of money or its equivalent.

    4. A means of increasing power or influence.

    5. An advantage that is used in exerting one's power.

  2. A grip applied manually or mechanically to move something or prevent it from slipping.

  3. A device, such as a tackle or lever, used to obtain mechanical advantage.

  4. A position, as of a lever or one's feet, affording means to move or secure a weight.

    1. A means of increasing power or influence.

    2. An advantage that is used in exerting one's power.


[Middle English purchasen, to pursue, purchase, from Old French purchacier : pur-, forth (from Latin prō-; see per1 in Indo-European roots) + chacier, to chase; see chase1.]
pur'chas·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

purchase  (v.)
1290, "obtain, contrive, bring about," from Anglo-Fr. purchaser "go after," from pur- "forth" (possibly used here as an intensive prefix; see purblind) + O.Fr. chacier "run after" (see chase). Sense of "buy" first recorded 1377, though the word continued to be used for "to get by conquest in war, obtain as booty" up to 17c. Noun meaning "that which is bought" is recorded from 1587. The sense of "hold or position for advantageously applying power" (1711) is extended from the nautical verb meaning "to haul or draw (especially by mechanical power)," used especially of hauling up anchors, and attested from 1567.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pur·chase
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: pur·chased; pur·chas·ing
transitive verb 1 : to acquire (real property) by means other than descent or inheritance
2 : to obtain by paying money or giving other valuable consideration; specifically : to take (property) by a voluntary transaction (as a sale, mortgage, pledge, lien, or gift) that creates an interest and that is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code —see also BONA FIDE PURCHASER intransitive verb : to purchase something —pur·chas·able adjective —pur·chas·er noun

Main Entry: purchase
Function: noun
: an act or instance of purchasing: as a : the acquiring of real property by any means other than descent or inheritance b : the acquiring of an interest in property esp. in exchange for valuable consideration —see also WORD OF PURCHASE
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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