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Meaning of purport in English:

purport

Pronunciation /pəˈpɔːt/ /ˈpəːpɔːt/

See synonyms for purport

Translate purport into Spanish

verb

with infinitive

  • Appear to be or do something, especially falsely.

    ‘she is not the person she purports to be’
    • ‘The institution of marriage they are purporting to protect is an abstraction.’
    • ‘In doing this, the government is conceding victory to the very people whom it purports to be fighting.’
    • ‘Clearly she has achieved the good life, but what about the people she purports to represent?’
    • ‘I was planning to write at length about the film, and the danger it poses by purporting to be an accurate representation of the truth about capitalism.’
    • ‘Has this man no respect for the people who he is purported to serve?’
    • ‘He is held out as a director by the company, claims and purports to be a director, although never actually or validly appointed as such.’
    • ‘A person purporting to be a doctor may carry more credible messages about a new toothpaste than a television presenter, for example.’
    • ‘Well, your Honour, in our submission, they were not purporting to pretend.’
    • ‘In the programme, former jockey Osborne was approached by people purporting to be considering buying a horse from him.’
    • ‘It may be, however, that the person purporting to grant the lease proves to have a defective title himself.’
    • ‘The person purporting to exercise his discretion has acted in abuse or excess of his power.’
    • ‘A constable had purported to arrest a person for obstruction, an offence which did not carry any power of arrest.’
    • ‘An enquiry would have revealed that the man who opened the account was not the person he purported to be.’
    • ‘Note that this is a theory which purports to explain the opinions of people, not government.’
    • ‘The mayor warned people to beware of bogus charities purporting to be collecting money for victims' families.’
    • ‘They now deserve a decent answer from the people who got their votes, those who purported to be in a position to deliver.’
    • ‘I am shocked that a newspaper which purports to serve the interests of its readers should attack such an eminent social engineer.’
    • ‘This would be an easy and lucrative way to take but, somehow, if one purports to be a local supplier, then a local supplier you have to be.’
    • ‘Even when it tramples all over other principles that he purports to hold dear.’
    • ‘It is part of the problem which it purports to address, rather than the solution.’
    claim, lay claim, profess, pretend
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noun

mass noun

  • 1The meaning or sense of something, typically a document or speech.

    ‘I do not understand the purport of your remarks’
    • ‘Ordinarily, it is not sufficient to give the tenor, substance or purport of the libel or slander, or an approximation of the words, or words to a certain ‘effect’, or any other words of a similar import.’
    • ‘The conduct or act has intrinsically no definite significance, or only an ambiguous one, and its whole legal purport or tenor is to be more precisely ascertained by considering the words accompanying it.’
    • ‘There, in introducing and explaining the meaning and purport of Article 2 and having regard to the grave breaches system of the Geneva Conventions, reference is made to international armed conflicts.’
    • ‘The purport and effect of those documents are one of the matters in issue in this case.’
    • ‘Do I correctly understand the purport of your submissions to be that if the Full Court should have dealt with these issues, we should go on and deal with them rather than send them back to the Full Court to deal with them now?’
    • ‘Critical analysis and constructive criticism are only possible after understanding the purport of the theme asserted.’
    • ‘That kind of message is sent for the purpose of concealing from the telegraph company, as well as all other parties, except the person to whom it is sent, the purport of the message.’
    • ‘The purport of this motion is to adjourn the House until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 10 February and to set the sitting days for next year.’
    gist, substance, drift, implication, intention, meaning, significance, signification, sense, essence, import, tenor, thrust, message, spirit
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    1. 1.1The purpose or intention of something.
      ‘the purport of existence’
      • ‘Under the Guarantee Boot agreed to answer for Construction's performance and observance of the Main Contract ‘according to the true purport intent and meaning thereof’.’
      • ‘He contended that the delay was remedied before any harm or prejudice was caused, and moreover, the defendant Vendors did not object or purport to rescind the agreement until after the breach had been remedied.’
      • ‘Although many use the mobile clinic as a medical home, it does not purport to have that designation.’
      • ‘It did not purport to be a notice conveying any such intention on the part of the Secretary of State.’
      • ‘But this does not affect the argument from design which, as Cleanthes admits, does not purport to show that the designer of the universe does have these characteristics.’
      • ‘Unlike patent, it does not purport to draw bright lines around ideas but proscribes what is, by consensus, objectionable behavior.’
      • ‘Some purport to function as collections for the Frankish and Visigothic kingdoms, like the Vetus Gallica of c.700 or the Hispana, c.700, respectively.’
      • ‘Big men often purport to be powerful spirit mediums and to possess both healing powers and deadly war sorcery.’
      intention, purpose, intent, object, objective, aim, goal, target, end, plan, scheme, design, idea, ambition, desire, wish, hope
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Origin

Late Middle English (in the sense ‘express, signify’): from Old French purporter, from medieval Latin proportare, from Latin pro- ‘forth’ + portare ‘carry, bear’. The sense ‘appear to be’ dates from the late 18th century.