Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

purport

Syllabification: (pur·port)
Translate purport | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of purport

verb

Pronunciation: /pərˈpôrt/
[with infinitive]
  • appear or claim to be or do something, especially falsely; profess:she is not the person she purports to be

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpərˌpôrt/
  • the meaning or substance of something, typically a document or speech:I do not understand the purport of your remarks
  • the purpose of a person or thing:the purport of existence

Derivatives

purportedly

adverb

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

purport in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of purport in the British & World English dictionary
  |  Cite

Word of the day

epithalamium

/ ˌɛpɪθəˈleɪmɪəm /
noun
a song or poem celebrating a marriage …