- [countable]
the intention, aim or function of something; the thing that something is supposed to achieve 意图；目的；用途；目标 Our campaign's main purpose is to raise money. 我们这次活动的主要目的就是募款。 The plan achieved its primary purpose, if nothing else. 别的不说，这个方案起码实现了其初衷。 The purpose of the book is to provide a complete guide to the university. 本书旨在全面介绍这所大学。 Giving too much advance notice would defeat the purpose of the inspection. 提前通知太多会破坏检查的目的。 - for the purpose of doing something
A meeting was called for the purpose of appointing a new treasurer. 为任命新财务主管而召开了一次会议。 I moved to London for the sole purpose of working with her. 我搬到伦敦的唯一目的就是和她一起工作。 - for the purpose of something
I have included this data for the purpose of comparison. 我把这些数据包括在内是为了比较。 - with the purpose of doing something
This project was launched with the purpose of increasing the number of visitors to the region. 这个项目的启动是为了增加该地区的游客数量。 - purpose for something
I could find no practical purpose for this app. 我找不到这个应用程序的实际用途。 The space station serves several purposes. 空间站有几个用途。 The experiments serve no useful purpose (= are not useful). 这些实验毫无用处。
Synonyms purposepurpose- aim
- intention
- plan
- point
- idea
- purpose what something is supposed to achieve; what somebody is trying to achieve:
Our campaign’s main purpose is to raise money. 我们这次活动的主要目的是募款。
- aim what somebody is trying to achieve; what something is supposed to achieve:
She went to London with the aim of finding a job. 她去伦敦是为了找工作。 Our main aim is to increase sales in Europe. 我们的主要目标是增加在欧洲的销售量。
purpose or aim? 用 purpose 还是 aim？ - intention what you intend to do:
I have no intention of going to the wedding. 我无意去参加婚礼。 She’s full of good intentions but they rarely work out. 她虽然处处出于善意，却很少行的通。
- plan what you intend to do or achieve:
There are no plans to build new offices. 现在没有建新办公楼的计划。
intention or plan? 用 intention 还是 plan？ - point (rather informal
) the purpose or aim of something: 指意图、目的、理由： What’s the point of all this violence? 这些暴行的意图何在？ The point of the lesson is to compare the two countries. 本课的目的是比较这两个国家。
- idea (rather informal
) the purpose of something; somebody’s aim: 指目的、意图： The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend. 我们去的唯一目的就是要见她的新男朋友。 What’s the idea behind this? 这背后的意图是什么？
point or idea? 用 point 还是 idea？ - with the purpose/aim/intention/idea of doing something
- somebody’s intention/plan to do something
- to have a(n) purpose/aim/intention/plan/point
- to achieve/fulfil a(n) purpose/aim
Extra ExamplesThe school was founded with the express purpose of teaching deaf children to speak. 学校创建时就有明确目的，即教耳聋的孩子学说话。 a measure introduced for the purpose of protecting the interests of investors 为保护投资者的利益而采取的措施 I put the chair there for a purpose. 我特意把椅子放在那儿。 a toy with the dual purpose of entertaining and developing memory skills 具有娱乐与开发记忆双重功能的玩具 The old mill has been put to good purpose. 老磨坊发挥了很好的用途。 the view that art should serve a social purpose 艺术应该为社会服务的观点 The same information can be put to many purposes. 相同的信息可以有多种用途。 The drug can be sold for medicinal purposes only. 这种药只用作医疗药品出售。 He did not want anything to distract him from his purpose. 他不想让任何事情转移他的注意力，使他偏离自己的目标。 She saw being a doctor as her purpose in life. 她曾把从医作为自己的人生目标。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- limited
- chief
- main
- …
- have
- lack
- accomplish
- …
- for a/the purpose
- on purpose
- at cross purposes
- for the express purpose of something
- with the express purpose of something
- …
- purposes[plural]
what is needed in a particular situation 情势的需要 - for… purposes
These gifts count as income for tax purposes. 这些礼物应属于纳税的收入。 The building was originally used for commercial purposes. 这座建筑最初是用于商业目的的。 - for the purposes of something
For the purposes of this study, the three groups have been combined. 为了这项研究工作，三个小组业已合并。
Extra ExamplesFor comparative purposes, the populations of three other cities are also shown. 为便于比较，还显示了另外三个城市的人口。 Let's assume he knows, for the purposes of our argument. 为了便于论证，我们假设他知道。 You will need to have the vehicle valued for insurance purposes. 你得找人给车子估价以便购买保险。
- for… purposes
- [countable, uncountable]
meaning that is important and valuable to you 重要意义；有价值的意义 Volunteer work gives her life a sense of purpose. 做志愿工作使她的生活有了意义。 He believes he has finally found a purpose in life. 他相信他终于找到了人生的目标。
Extra ExamplesEncouraged by her example, they all set to work with a fresh sense of purpose. 在她的榜样的鼓舞下，他们都怀着新的使命感投入到工作中。 a group of individuals sharing a common purpose 目的相同的一群人 Teachers need to give a purpose to the activities and assignments they give to students. 教师给学生布置活动和作业要有目的性。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- limited
- chief
- main
- …
- have
- lack
- accomplish
- …
- for a/the purpose
- on purpose
- at cross purposes
- for the express purpose of something
- with the express purpose of something
- …
- [uncountable]
the ability to plan something and work successfully to achieve it 意志；毅力；决心 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- limited
- chief
- main
- …
- have
- lack
- accomplish
- …
- for a/the purpose
- on purpose
- at cross purposes
- for the express purpose of something
- with the express purpose of something
- …
see also cross purposes
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French porpos, from the verb porposer, variant of proposer, from Latin proponere ‘set forth’ (from pro- ‘forward’ + ponere ‘put’).
Idioms
fit for purpose
(of an institution, a system, a thing, etc.) suitable for the function or purpose that it was designed for （机构、体系、事物等）符合设计原意的，具有适当功能的 The minister argued that the education system wasn’t fit for purpose. 部长认为教育系统不符合目的。 The new executive flats are fully equipped and fit for purpose. 新的行政公寓设备齐全，适合居住。 I returned the goods as they weren’t fit for purpose. 我退货了，因为它们不合用途。
for (all) practical purposes
on purpose
to all intents and purposes (especially British English)
(North American English usually for all intents and purposes)
to little/no purpose
- (formal)
with little/no useful effect or result 作用不大；徒劳 The government had spent a lot on education but to little or no purpose. 政府在教育上花了很多钱，但收效甚微或毫无用处。