purse
Also called change purse [cheynj-purs] /ˈtʃeɪndʒ ˌpɜrs/ . 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.
to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker: to purse one's lips.
to put into a purse.
Origin of purse
1Other words from purse
- purse·less, adjective
- purse·like, adjective
Words that may be confused with purse
- briefcase, handbag, pocketbook, purse , valise, wallet
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use purse in a sentence
Sixty-eight-year-old Hannah Harris was arrested Tuesday, accused of stealing purses in her home borough of Brooklyn.
Brooklyn’s ‘Bad Grandma’ Arrested for Purse-Snatching (VIDEO) | Alex Chancey | June 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTypically most women carry their concealed firearms in their purses, the main target of thieves.
Purses, platforms, and "mankles" strutted down the runway at the designer's men's show.
Men Wear Heels at J.W. Anderson's London Fashion Show | Erin Cunningham | January 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer Spanish model beau River Viiperi, 22, stands off to the side, lugging two large purses and a pink quilted laptop bag.
Paris Hilton's Trippy Los Angeles Release Party For Her Single With Lil Wayne | Jean Trinh | October 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSix of them lost their passports in the fiery crash; the rest lost their luggage and purses.
It was not safe to be out at night,” he said; “we had gold watches on us and money in our purses, and knives were sharp.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowYou dive into so many purses that by this time, if you are grasping men, you have piled up gold.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de BalzacHis own friends he constantly enlisted in his schemes, and made large levies on their private purses.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton KingThe land was inundated with purses of every shape, size, and substance.
She has our purses in her satchel, taking care of them for us.
Dorothy's Travels | Evelyn Raymond
British Dictionary definitions for purse
/ (pɜːs) /
a small bag or pouch, often made of soft leather, for carrying money, esp coins
US and Canadian 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
(tr) to contract (the mouth, lips, etc) into a small rounded shape
Origin of purse
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with purse
In addition to the idiom beginning with purse
- purse strings
also see:
- can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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