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Meaning & use

Purple Heart

proper noun, noun·AdvancedAmericanmilitary

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UK/ˌpɜːpl ˈhɑːt/
US/ˌpɜːrpl ˈhɑːrt/

Meanings

  1. proper nounproperAmericanmilitary

    A United States military medal given to service members wounded or killed in action.

    Grammar: Always capitalized and used with the: received the Purple Heart.

    Patterns

    • receive the Purple Heart
    • be awarded the Purple Heart

    The sergeant received the Purple Heart after his convoy was hit.

    Her grandfather's Purple Heart hangs in a frame in the living room.

    The president pinned a Purple Heart on the veteran's jacket.

  2. nouncountableinformal

    A person who has been given this medal, or a purple heart-shaped pill in old slang.

    Grammar: Used with a: a Purple Heart recipient; the slang sense is dated.

    Patterns

    • a Purple Heart recipient

    The town honors every Purple Heart veteran with a parade.

    Another Purple Heart joined the ceremony on the stage.

Word forms

pluralPurple Hearts

Common combinations

Purple Heart recipient
The Purple Heart recipient spoke at the school.
awarded the Purple Heart
He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered overseas.
Purple Heart medal
The Purple Heart medal bears the image of George Washington.
earn a Purple Heart
Few veterans want to talk about how they earned a Purple Heart.
Purple Heart veteran
The Purple Heart veteran received free parking.

Synonyms and how they differ

decoration
Decoration is a general word for any award for service or bravery, while Purple Heart names a specific one for wounds.
medal
Medal can refer to any such award, including in sports, but Purple Heart is a particular US medal.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is a higher award for extreme bravery in combat, while the Purple Heart rewards being wounded.

Word family

heart noun
the organ, and the shape used in the medal's design
purple adjective
the color of the medal
veteran noun
a person who served in the armed forces

Commonly confused: Purple Heart or Medal of Honor? Purple Heart or purple heart?

Purple Heart vs Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is awarded for extraordinary bravery, while the Purple Heart is awarded for wounds or death in service.

Purple Heart vs purple heart

Lowercase purple heart can refer to a purple heart shape or a type of wood, whereas the capitalized medal is the military award.

Practice

A US soldier wounded in combat may be awarded the ___.

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