MEANING
1. To claim or appear to be something, without establishing that the claim is true.
2. The main meaning, substance, or purpose of an expression.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- purport to explain
- purport to represent
On the page
The document purports to represent all participants.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- purport
- Past tense
- purported
- Past participle
- purported
- Present participle
- purporting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- purport
- Present continuous
- am/is/are purporting
- Present perfect
- have/has purported
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been purporting
- Past
- purported
- Past continuous
- was/were purporting
- Past perfect
- had purported
- Past perfect continuous
- had been purporting
- Future
- will purport
- Future continuous
- will be purporting
- Future perfect
- will have purported
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been purporting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: purport; purports; purported; purported; purporting. Noun use is uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, qualification. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: purports.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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