verb
purchase
PURT-shihs
verb
1
To buy something by paying money for it.
"She purchased a new laptop for work."
"They purchased the house after months of saving."
noun
1
Something bought, or the act of buying it.
"Keep the receipt in case you need to return your purchase."
2
A firm grip or mechanical hold used to move or lift something heavy.
"The climber struggled to get a purchase on the icy rock face."
How to Use Purchase
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo buy something, or (less commonly) to get a firm grip or hold on something.
When to use it
More formal than "buy" — common in business, legal, and financial writing.
Common pairings
purchase price
make a purchase
gain purchase on
Word Forms
purchased past tense, purchases plural, purchases singular
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Etymology
From Anglo-Norman purchacer ("to seek to obtain"), from Old French pur- (from Latin pro-, "forth") plus chacier ("to chase"). Its root sense was "to pursue and get," which narrowed over time to mean "to buy."