What does “purport” mean?
- 1
verbto claim to be or do something, especially when this may not be true
The letter purports to be from the president.
- 2
noun(formal) the general meaning or purpose of something
The purport of his speech was clear enough.
Purport at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb & noun
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /pɚˈpɔrt/ · per-PORT
How to use “purport” correctly
Followed by “to”: “purport to be”. Note the noun is stressed on the first syllable: PUR-port.
Common phrases with “purport”
- purport to be
- purport to show
- purportedly written by
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- claim
- profess
- gist
Word family
- purported
- purportedly
“purport” is on these word lists
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