Purse Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms purse American [purs] / pɜrs /

noun

1. handbag.

2. Also called change purse. a small bag, pouch, or case for carrying money.

3. anything resembling a purse in appearance, use, etc.

4. a sum of money offered as a prize or reward.

5. a sum of money collected as a present or the like.

6. money, resources, or wealth.

verb (used with object)

pursed, pursing

1. to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker.

   to purse one's lips.

2. to put into a purse.

purse British / pɜːs /

noun

1. a small bag or pouch, often made of soft leather, for carrying money, esp coins

2. a woman's handbag

3. anything resembling a small bag or pouch in form or function

4. wealth; funds

5. a sum of money that is offered, esp as a prize

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. (tr) to contract (the mouth, lips, etc) into a small rounded shape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 purse Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing purse

• can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

Other Word Forms

• purseless adjective
• purselike adjective

Etymology

Origin of purse

First recorded before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English purs, blend of pusa “bag” (cognate with Old Norse posi ) and Medieval Latin bursa “bag” (ultimately from Greek býrsa “hide, leather”); (verb) Middle English pursen “to put in a purse,” derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Back before it became unfashionable, I used to procure skins and pelts from such animals for coats, purses, and shoes.

From Literature

The appetite for luxury goods was so strong that Chinese tourists flew to European capitals for the experience of buying—for example—a Chanel or Hermès purse at a flagship in Paris.

From The Wall Street Journal

Day carries a small backpack or purse for the plastic bottles, wrappers and napkins that she accumulates.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the past year, the mania had been growing: Lady Gaga accessorized a Labubu on her Hermès purse; Cher, David Beckham and Marc Jacobs also clipped the accessory to their bags.

From The Wall Street Journal

In “The Moment,” she does that segment again, only this time she doesn’t know what her assistants have stashed in her purse.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bag
• handbag
• pocket
• pocketbook
• pouch
• wallet

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.