1 purvey | Definition of purvey

purvey

verb
pur·​vey | \ (ˌ)pər-ˈvā How to pronounce purvey (audio) , ˈpər-ˌvā\
purveyed; purveying

Definition of purvey

transitive verb

1 : to supply (something, such as provisions) usually as a matter of business

Examples of purvey in a Sentence

a shop purveying handmade merchandise

Recent Examples on the Web

The fact is, the antidote to the depressing true stories purveyed by the news is the joyful abundance of thriving nature all around us. Bruce Beehler, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: Why doom and gloom won’t help us fight climate change," 23 Aug. 2019 The site is composed of a group of tech-savvy volunteers seeking to expose lies and targeting the extremist community of people who purvey the idea that Sandy Hook was a hoax . Rubén Rosario, Twin Cities, "Rosario: The recent court victory against the Sandy Hook deniers has a Saintly City connection," 28 June 2019 Other cases included puppeteers purveying political satire, bloggers joking about assassinations of members of the 1939-1975 authoritarian regime and singers flouting at terror attack victims. Lorne Cook, The Seattle Times, "Belgian court rules out extradition for Spanish rapper," 17 Sep. 2018 In the first movement, the piano purveyed rippling arpeggios, a Glassian trademark, while the strings worked through melodic figures. New York Times, "Review: Chiara Quartet Says Farewell on a High Note," 13 May 2018 After all, squirrels can't use direct-mailing lists to keep track of the nuts that sustain them the way that, say, vein-popping conspiracy-purveying radio hosts can. Steve Mirsky, Scientific American, "Squirrels Can Store the Same Kinds of Nuts in Specific Groupings," 1 Dec. 2017 The name of the company gives you a sense of the halfhearted satire Mr. Rabe is purveying. Jesse Green, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Good for Otto,’ a Case of Psychiatrist, Shrink Thyself," 8 Mar. 2018 Public discourse becomes increasingly preoccupied with the scandalous, the sensational, and the confessional as purveyed by tabloids, talk shows, and eventually the mainstream media as well. Fred Bauer, National Review, "How to Renew Our Civic Culture," 20 Oct. 2017 Between the fall of this year and early 2018, no less than 12 restaurants will open, purveying everything from healthful juices (Clean Juice Bar) and luscious macaroons (Joy Macarons) to the freshest shrimp ceviche (Mesero) or crispy catfish (Fixe). By Andrew Marton, star-telegram, "The Shops at Clearfork open! With more coming in 2018," 4 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purvey.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of purvey

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for purvey

Middle English purveien, from Anglo-French purveier, purveer to look at, foresee, provide, from Latin providēre to provide

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on purvey

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with purvey

Britannica English: Translation of purvey for Arabic Speakers