Meaning & use
purport
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Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
To claim or appear to be something, often when the claim may be false.
Grammar: Usually followed by 'to be' or 'to do': purport to be an expert. It signals doubt about the claim.
Patterns
- purport to be something
- purport to do something
- be purported to be
The document purports to be an official government report.
He purports to know everything about the case, but he has no evidence.
The study purports to show a link between the two events.
noununcountableformal
The general meaning or intention of something said or written.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used in the phrase 'the purport of'.
Patterns
- the purport of something
I understood the purport of her message even though it was vague.
The purport of the agreement was to reduce pollution.
Word forms
| third person singular | purports |
|---|---|
| past tense | purported |
| past participle | purported |
| -ing form | purporting |
Common combinations
- purport to be
- The website purports to be a reliable news source.
- purport to show
- The graph purports to show a rise in sales.
- the purport of
- The purport of his speech was that change is needed.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- purported adjective
- Claimed to be true but not proven: the purported evidence.
- purportedly adverb
- According to what is claimed, but not confirmed.
Commonly confused: purport or purpose?
purport vs purpose
Purpose is the reason for doing something; purport is the claimed meaning or intention.
Practice
The letter ___ to be from the bank, but it was a scam.
Choose one answer.
The subject 'The letter' is third-person singular, so we need 'purports'. 'Purport' is the base form, 'purporting' is the -ing form, and 'purported' is past tense, which would not match the present tense of the rest of the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “purport”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.