purge
verb
\ ˈpərj
\
\
purged;
purging
Definition of purge
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: to clear of guilt
b
: to free from moral or ceremonial defilement
2a
: to cause evacuation from
purge the bowels
b(1)
: to make free of something unwanted
purge a manhole of gas purge yourself of fear
(2)
: to free (something, such as a boiler) of sediment or relieve (something, such as a steam pipe) of trapped air by bleeding
c(1)
: to rid (a nation, a political party, etc.) by a purge
(2)
: to get rid of
the leaders had been purged
purge
nounDefinition of purge (Entry 2 of 2)
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Examples of purge in a Sentence
Verb
High-ranking officials were purged from the company following the merger. a day on which the faithful are expected to purge themselves of their sins through prayer and fastingRecent Examples on the Web: Verb
Royal regulators were appointed to purge local corporations of James’s political opponents; the elections were called off when news of the Dutch invasion broke. — James P. Sutton, National Review, "In Defense of the Glorious Revolution," 19 July 2019 Sarah Lustig, Downey’s attorney, said the city is producing records in keeping with new law, but also may continue to purge older records based on its retention schedule. — Maya Lau, latimes.com, "Destroyed files and long delays: California police slow to release misconduct records," 30 June 2019 Investigative files on district teachers will now be kept in the central offices rather than individual buildings, where certain documents were required to be purged when a new principal took over or an educator moved to a different school. — oregonlive.com, "Portland school board adopts controversial public records agreement, with a slight tweak," 26 June 2019 And in the early days following the Beatles’ split, no one seemed more willing to discard their legacy than Lennon, who was learning to purge his personal demons through primal scream therapy. — David Gambacorta, Longreads, "Took You By Surprise: John and Paul’s Lost Reunion," 25 June 2019 Critics, in their eulogies, have speculated that the creation of Disney+, Disney’s own streaming platform, meant that Netflix opted to purge its library of Marvel titles rather than compete. — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, "The Marvel-Netflix Universe’s Final Hero," 14 June 2019 Some people look at the start of spring as an opportunity to purge their home of unwanted or unnecessary items, but not me! — Alyssa Fiorentino, House Beautiful, "Everything I Bought At Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, and Target For Spring," 17 Apr. 2019 For example, for those with acne-prone skin, start with the Charcoal Balancing Mask ($18) to purge pores of dirt, oil, and gunk, and then spot-treat with the Blemish Control Spot Treatment ($22), which is made with five percent benzoyl peroxide. — Lauren Swanson, Allure, "Amazon Launches Its First-Ever Skin-Care Line Today — and Everything's Under $40," 20 Mar. 2019 Weeks later, the city’s attorney said that many of the records sought had already been purged before the beginning of the year. — Maya Lau, latimes.com, "Destroyed files and long delays: California police slow to release misconduct records," 30 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Growing pains are expected in the first year of a new regime, the first season that follows a roster purge. — Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, "Kelly: Talent-starved Dolphins haven’t fixed any of team’s 2018 problems | Commentary," 14 Aug. 2019 Tensions culminated in late February with a dramatic corporate purge. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, "He ordered ‘The Office.’ Can Kevin Reilly make HBO Max a hit?," 31 July 2019 Following years of purges within the military to establish its fealty, Xi began assuming the title in 2016 as a symbol of his political control over the armed forces. — Washington Post, "China takes aim at U.S., Taiwan in new military blueprint," 24 July 2019 In the age of Marie Kondo–style decluttering, Swedish Death Cleaning, and Vogue editor closet purges, the entire world seems obsessed with paring things down. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Alyce Tran Is Here to Edit Your Handbag and Your Life," 2 May 2019 Beregovsky planned to publish an anthology after the war, but the project was shut down in 1949 at the height of Stalin’s anti-Jewish purge and Beregovsky was arrested on suspicion of promoting Jewish nationalism. — Washington Post, "Long lost WWII-era Soviet songs brought to life in Israel," 10 July 2019 Nor is there a peep about the Great Terror, Stalin’s campaign of purges and executions in the 1930s. — David Segal, New York Times, "A Monster to History, Stalin Is a Tourist Magnet in His Hometown," 30 June 2019 Events like this show that these sorts of purges and groveling sessions are essential in a system with no real rules or internal democracy. — Ian Johnson, The New York Review of Books, "China’s ‘Black Week-end’," 17 June 2019 Similar accounts of voter purges and suppression have been reported in North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, and many more. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "Why wasn’t the blue wave bigger?," 7 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for purge
purge
verb
English Language Learners Definition of purge
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to remove people from an area, country, organization, etc., often in a violent and sudden way
: to cause something to leave the body
purge
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of purge (Entry 2 of 2)
: the often violent and sudden removal of people from an area, country, organization, etc.
See the full definition for purge in the English Language Learners Dictionary