How to Use purse strings in a Sentence

purse strings

plural noun
  • Congress has the purse strings to give them the money to do that.
    — Liz Cheney, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2024
  • Our heart strings and our purse strings can both stand some strengthening.
    — Andrew Tisch, Forbes, 28 June 2021
  • The person with the purse strings could decide to stall or skip out on their tab.
    — Victoria Bekiempis, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The president holds the purse strings.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • My husband is the one who usually holds and pulls all the purse strings.
    — Amy Dickinson, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Apr. 2018
  • Congress, which holds the purse strings, is at fault for not wielding its power.
    — The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Will the hype over some makers fizzle out as buyers tighten their purse strings?
    — Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Harvey keeps a tight circle of associates who hold the purse strings.
    — Rodney Ho, ajc, 27 Apr. 2022
  • Consumers are tightening purse strings, and sports bets could be an easy expense to cut.
    — Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 June 2022
  • If consumers tighten their purse strings, alcohol could be one of the items that takes a hit.
    — Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Turns out women hold the purse strings in most relationships.
    — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 20 Apr. 2022
  • You may be invited to gamble, but keep your purse strings closed and your lips sealed this weekend.
    — oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2020
  • The corporations that control the purse strings don’t like it.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2024
  • By contrast, in the corporate world, purse strings seem looser.
    — Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Trump's campaign managers this cycle are keeping a closer hold on the purse strings.
    — Mike Allen, Axios, 22 Sep. 2024
  • But to parents holding the purse strings, price often matters most when shopping for back to school.
    — Charisse Jones, USA TODAY, 10 July 2019
  • Ultimately, who holds the guns and the purse strings also holds power.
    — Richard Hall, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2017
  • There was unrest in the ranks amid suspicion that the creative teams had lost all control of the purse strings.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 28 Apr. 2022
  • Usage rates of these rogue sites have surged as consumers’ purse strings have been pulled tight due to the cost of living crisis.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
  • How much control will the executive have over the county’s purse strings?
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
  • Buckle up, tighten the purse strings, and schedule a few more creative brainstorms.
    — Candace Nelson, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2022
  • The pandemic has prompted Congress to loosen its purse strings.
    — Sharon Lafraniere, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Sep. 2022
  • Most important in this case, Congress controls the purse strings.
    — Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Aderholt also said the power of the purse strings held by Congress should not be overlooked.
    — Paul Gattis | [email protected], al, 24 Aug. 2023
  • For those holding the purse strings, egalitarianism is the name of the game.
    — Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2021
  • But Callender promises the plot didn’t suffer as a result of tighter purse strings.
    — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 22 Mar. 2025
  • After years of demand growing faster than funding, the government looks poised to loosen the purse strings.
    — The Economist, 28 Mar. 2018
  • By pulling the purse strings and decreasing or even halting marketing efforts, that tide could sweep you out to sea.
    — Rebecca Kowalewicz, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023
  • A lot of people emulate some sort of legacy in order to shake the purse strings of their audience.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
  • France Televisions, on the other hand, is looking to tighten its purse strings.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 17 Jan. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purse strings.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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