What does "purge" mean?
An act or instance of purging.
Purge
/pɜːd͡ʒ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act or instance of purging.
- Grammar: purge is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abolishment, abolition, absolve, abstergent.
- Useful contrasts: admit, appointment, caching.
- Usage evidence: One student says the purge is still going on in China and terror is widespread.
How to use "purge"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "purge" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "purge" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "purge" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "purge" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "purge" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abolishment" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "purge", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act or instance of purging.
- 2 an abrupt or sudden removal of a person or group from an organization or place wordnet
- 3 An evacuation of the bowels or the stomach; a defecation or vomiting.
- 4 an act of removing by cleansing; ridding of sediment or other undesired elements wordnet
- 5 Something which or someone who purges; especially, a medicine that evacuates the intestines; a cathartic.
"he prescribes a Purge or a Vomit"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 the act of clearing yourself (or another) from some stigma or charge wordnet
- 7 A forcible removal of people, for example, from political activity.
"Stalin liked to ensure that his purges were irreversible."
- 8 An act or instance of the cleansing of pipes.
- 9 A red or reddish liquid that seeps out from raw muscular meat consisting mostly of water and protein; "meat juice".
Verb
- 1 To clean thoroughly; to rid of impurities; to cleanse. transitive
"After the process, the machine purges the chamber before venting it to remove toxic gases."
- 2 excrete or evacuate (someone's bowels or body) wordnet
- 3 To remove by cleansing; to wash away. transitive
- 4 eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth wordnet
- 5 To free from sin, guilt, or burden. transitive
"Purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 rinse, clean, or empty with a liquid wordnet
- 7 To evacuate (the bowels or the stomach); to defecate or vomit. intransitive, transitive
- 8 rid of impurities wordnet
- 9 To cause someone to purge; to operate (on somebody) using a cathartic or emetic, or in a similar manner. transitive
""What did they die of?” I asked. / "Fevers. The doctor came and bled them and purged them, but they still died." / "He bled and purged babies?" / "They were two and three. He said it would break the fever. And it did. But they … they died anyway.""
- 10 make pure or free from sin or guilt wordnet
- 11 To forcibly remove, for example, from political activity. transitive
"Deng Xiaoping was purged twice during the Cultural Revolution, but managed to return to power after Mao's death."
- 12 clear of a charge wordnet
- 13 To forcibly remove people by an organization. transitive
"Cromwell had Colonel Pride purge Parliament of royalists who opposed Charles I's execution."
- 14 oust politically wordnet
- 15 To clear of a charge, suspicion, or imputation. transitive
- 16 To clarify; to clear the dregs from (liquor). transitive
- 17 To become pure, as by clarification. intransitive
- 18 To have or produce frequent evacuations from the intestines, as by means of a cathartic. intransitive
- 19 To trim, dress, or prune. transitive
Antonyms
Example
"One student says the purge is still going on in China and terror is widespread."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "purge"?
Common synonyms include: abolishment, abolition, absolve, abstergent, abstersion, abstract.
How do you use "purge" in a sentence?
One student says the purge is still going on in China and terror is widespread.
How do you pronounce "purge"?
Pronounced /pɜːd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
From Middle English purgen, from Old French purgier, from Latin pūrgō (“I make pure, I cleanse”), from pūrus (“clean, pure”) + agō (“I make, I do”).