PURPORTS Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

purports 1 of 2

noun

plural of purport

as in contents

the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action was able to give the purport of the governor's speech in a few words

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purports

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of purport

as in intends

to have in mind as a purpose or goal do you purport to spend the rest of your life on that couch, or do you think you might get a job someday?

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in alleges

to state as a fact usually forcefully he purports to be an expert in criminalistics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of purports

Noun

Damien Warren-Smith, an Australian comedian whose solo show purports to stage every book of the Penguin Classics series in seventy minutes. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026 For some, the biggest risk would come if others in the region simply don’t trust the restrictions the Saudi deal purports to include. — Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026 One video that quickly went viral purports to show Israeli soldiers beating locals opposed to the project. — Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026 Video shows corpses outside capital Meanwhile, video circulating online purports to show dozens of bodies in a morgue on the outskirts of Iran’s capital. — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026 Instead, Trump purports to have valid cause. — Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 11 Jan. 2026 The law applies to state and local agencies and purports to cover federal officers operating in California, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who have worn masks during recent neighborhood enforcement actions. — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025

Verb

The statement, in which Bryan supposedly spoke up defending his stance from the night before, came from an X account that purports to belong to the singer but does not. — Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026 In August, Brightline West President Sarah Watterson stepped down; local reporting in California purports the company has struggled to raise the investment funds needed to get the project going. — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026 Monster purports that Wournos (here played by Ryan Murphy go-to Sarah Paulson) was obsessed with Lizzie Borden, though there is no evidence to back up this idea. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 Similarly, in the Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night (1964), which purports to depict two days in the life of the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania, the band members are, of course, playing themselves. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026 An army of trial watchers purports, without proof, that Clancy is entirely innocent—that she was somehow framed by Patrick, who has testified in her defense. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 The Lynx, a WNBA-best 30-7, have championship aspirations but still have time to deliver regular-season smoke to a Valkyries squad that purports to be on their level. — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 As traditionally understood, a movie purports to tell a story to an audience whose ideal state is one of relative ignorance. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026 While Bret purports to understand, there are unmistakable tears in his eyes. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purports

Noun

Containers of spices not labeled with contents in bottom shelves in kitchen.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
There are financial hurdles — the dividing of assets and debts, the family home and its contents.

— Grey Battle, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of contents

Verb

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday filed a lawsuit that intends to weigh in on the results of the Senate race in Alaska.

— Rebecca Schneid, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
The company intends to keep testing its defenses as model capabilities advance, rather than assume that today’s security measures will remain sufficient.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of intends

Verb

The court filing alleges that social media users believed that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders actually made appearances at the My Chemical Romance concert, and that the circulation of videos was not accidental.

— Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2026
The left-wing Twitch streamer alleges that Jennings, a conservative podcaster, falsely said Piker had advocated for lynchings.

— Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of alleges

Noun

The Find + Follow Air Purifier senses areas of high air pollutants in the home – such as where residents are cooking, smoking or burning candles – and adjusts its position to clean this air.

— Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
The five senses — sound, touch, taste, vision and smell — are all key blocks of memory building.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of senses

Verb

In addition to the £120 million infusion, the UK also plans to dole out £60 million to a sovereign AI fund to help boost domestic AI companies, and £18 million to boost homegrown chip design.

— Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026
The Justice Department, by comparison, plans to send out 1,000 people.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of plans

Verb

The administration insists its strategy of inflicting economic pain is working.

— Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
But Jessica insists that Elizabeth doesn’t know the specific brand of hot dogs and buns she’s already acquired, which means that if, for instance, Elizabeth brought Hawaiian buns and chicken sausages, there would be an inconsistency.

— Jennifer Kim, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of insists

Noun

Despite researchers’ best intentions, there will always be a tendency to push the boundaries of the evidence beyond conservative limits, and with that comes greater risk of making claims that ultimately fail to generalize.

— Mark Louie F. Ramos, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026
Many arrive after years of frustration in educational settings that, despite the best intentions of dedicated teachers, could not fully meet their needs.

— Claudia Nachtigal, Baltimore Sun, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of intentions

Verb

By increasing its manufacturing capacity, the company aims to strengthen its ability to deliver advanced systems to customers.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
The florist, which aims to open in late November, will specialize in seasonal floral arrangements and specialty bouquets.

— Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of aims

Browse Nearby Words

purporting

purports

purpose

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Style

“Purports.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purports. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purports

noun

verb

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