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Meaning & use

dual purpose

adjective, noun·Everyday

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UK/ˌdjuː.əl ˈpɜː.pəs/
US/ˌduː.əl ˈpɝː.pəs/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Designed or able to serve two different uses or aims at once.

    Grammar: Usually before a noun and often hyphenated: a dual-purpose room.

    Patterns

    • a dual-purpose something

    The sofa is dual-purpose: by day a seat, by night a bed.

    They bought a dual-purpose vehicle for work and family trips.

    This cream is dual-purpose, working as a cleanser and a moisturizer.

  2. nounsingular

    Two reasons or functions served by one thing, mainly in the phrase serve a dual purpose.

    Grammar: Used with serve: the app serves a dual purpose.

    Patterns

    • serve a dual purpose
    • have a dual purpose

    The wall serves a dual purpose, marking the border and keeping the wind out.

    The meeting had a dual purpose: to update staff and to gather ideas.

    Her walk to work served a dual purpose, exercise and fresh air.

Common combinations

serve a dual purpose
The garden shed serves a dual purpose as a workshop.
dual-purpose room
We use the spare room as a dual-purpose office and guest bedroom.
dual-purpose tool
A multitool is a handy dual-purpose tool.
dual-purpose breed
The farmer keeps a dual-purpose breed of cattle for milk and beef.
have a dual purpose
The event had a dual purpose: fundraising and awareness.

Synonyms and how they differ

multipurpose
Multipurpose suggests three or more uses, while dual purpose means exactly two.
versatile
Versatile describes something adaptable to many uses, not necessarily two.
two-in-one
Two-in-one is more casual and common in product descriptions.
double-duty
Double-duty is informal and suggests a thing doing two jobs, sometimes unexpectedly.

Opposites

single-purpose

Word family

dual adjective
consisting of two parts
purpose noun
the reason something is made or done
purposeful adjective
having a clear aim
multipurpose adjective
having many uses

Commonly confused: dual purpose or dual?

dual purpose vs dual

Dual means made of two parts; duel is a fight between two people. They sound the same but are spelled differently.

Practice

The big kitchen island is ___ furniture: it works as both a prep table and a dining counter.

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