purge
gb/pˈɚd͡ʒ/ us/pˈɚd͡ʒ/
B2
English
~ 9800
eltávolít, kitöröl, megtisztít, megszabadul, megszabadít, kiürít, meghánytatja magát, tisztogatás, eltávolítás, törlés
VERB
B2
FORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
to purge [something] from [something]
IT ran a script to purge old files from the server.
Az IT egy szkriptet futtatott, hogy törölje a régi fájlokat a szerverről.
The company is trying to purge corruption from its supply chain.
A vállalat megpróbálja megtisztítani az ellátási láncát a korrupciótól.
They used chemicals to purge the fuel line of air bubbles.
She went on a strict diet to purge her body of what she called "toxins."
The government ordered agencies to purge inaccurate data from their records.
Learner examples
I need to purge old emails from my inbox.
Ki kell törölnöm a régi e-maileket a postaládámból.
The doctor said this medicine will purge the virus from my body.
Az orvos azt mondta, hogy ez a gyógyszer eltávolítja a vírust a szervezetemből.
The mechanic purged the air from the brake lines.
The new manager wants to purge bad habits from the team.
We should purge useless apps from our phones.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "purge" for everyday cleaning, like "I purged my room," which can sound too strong or dramatic. In normal conversation, "clean" or "clear out" is more natural; "purge" is used when removal is complete, systematic, or serious.
Meaning
remove unwanted things completely
Collocations
purge old files
|purge toxins
|purge the system
|purge air from the line
|purge the database
|purge memory
Synonyms
clean out (more informal and physical; does not always suggest total or systematic removal)
Antonyms
accumulate (means to gather or build up things instead of removing them)
Themes
technology
|health
|cleaning
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Definition
to remove bad or unnecessary things from something so that none are left
To remove or get rid of unwanted, harmful, or unnecessary things completely from a place, system, or collection.
VERB
C1
FORMAL
2
megtisztít
C1
eltávolít
B2
Usage pattern:
to purge [someone] from [an organization]
The ruling party moved quickly to purge its ranks of internal critics.
A kormánypárt gyorsan hozzálátott, hogy megtisztítsa a sorait a belső bírálóktól.
Several judges were purged from the courts after the new regime took power.
Több bírót is eltávolítottak a bíróságokról, miután az új rezsim hatalomra került.
He was quietly purged from the committee after speaking to the press.
The leader used the scandal as an excuse to purge rivals from key posts.
Activists accused the government of purging independent voices from state media.
Learner examples
The new leader tried to purge enemies from the party.
Az új vezető megpróbálta megtisztítani a pártot az ellenségeitől.
Many workers were purged from the company after the strike.
A sztrájk után sok dolgozót eltávolítottak a cégtől.
They purged all loyalists of the old boss from the team.
Some members were purged because they did not agree with the policy.
The government purged the army of officers it did not trust.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse "purge" with neutral verbs like "fire" or "remove." "Purge" suggests a broad, often political or ideological, removal of many people, usually with a strong, negative tone.
Meaning
remove unwanted people from group
Collocations
purge dissidents
|purge the party
|purge the ranks
|purge critics
|purge senior officials
|purge the opposition
Synonyms
oust (focuses on forcing someone out of a position; less strong sense of cleaning the whole group)
Antonyms
recruit (means to bring people into a group, the opposite of removing them)
Themes
politics
|work
|society
Definition
to force people to leave a group or job because they are not wanted there
To remove people who are considered disloyal, undesirable, or no longer wanted from an organization, government, or group, often in a strict or forceful way.
VERB
C1
FORMAL
3
megszabadul
B2
megszabadít
C1
Usage pattern:
to purge oneself of [something]
He wrote the memoir to purge himself of years of guilt.
Azért írta meg a memoárját, hogy megszabaduljon az évek óta gyötrő bűntudattól.
Therapy helped her purge some of the anger she carried from childhood.
A terápia segített neki megszabadulni a gyerekkora óta hordozott harag egy részétől.
The ritual was meant to purge the community of fear and mistrust.
She finally spoke about the trauma in order to purge the memories.
Art became a way for him to purge his darkest emotions.
Learner examples
She wanted to purge herself of her bad memories.
Meg akart szabadulni a rossz emlékeitől.
Talking to a friend can help you purge your fear.
Ha beszélsz egy baráttal, az segíthet megszabadulni a félelmedtől.
He wrote a letter to purge his anger.
The group meeting helped them purge feelings of shame.
He tried to purge his mind of negative thoughts.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "purge" with positive emotions, like "purge myself of happiness," which sounds odd. In this sense, it is almost always used with negative feelings such as guilt, anger, fear, or shame.
Meaning
get rid of unwanted feelings
Collocations
purge oneself of guilt
|purge bad memories
|purge negative emotions
|purge anger
|purge shame
|purge resentment
Synonyms
get rid of (very general and informal; lacks the idea of a deep or complete emotional cleansing)
Antonyms
harbor (to keep and hold on to feelings, especially negative ones, instead of releasing them)
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|health
Definition
to make yourself free from bad feelings or memories by letting them go
To free oneself or someone else from unwanted feelings, memories, or guilt, often by expressing them or going through a process of change.
C1
TECHNICAL
4
kiürít
C1
Usage pattern:
to purge after [eating/drinking]
Some patients try to purge after meals by making themselves vomit.
Egyes betegek étkezés után megpróbálják meghánytatni magukat.
The poison control center advised against trying to purge the child at home.
A mérgezési központ azt tanácsolta, hogy otthon ne próbálják meghánytatni a gyereket.
In bulimia, people may binge on food and then purge to avoid weight gain.
She had been purging several times a day before seeking treatment.
The drug was once used to purge the stomach after suspected poisoning.
Learner examples
He tried to purge after eating too much.
Túl sok evés után megpróbálta meghánytatni magát.
People with this illness may binge and then purge.
Az ebben a betegségben szenvedők falásroham után meghánytathatják magukat.
The doctor told him not to purge himself at home.
She stopped purging when she started therapy.
They used medicine to purge his stomach of the drug.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense is strongly medical and often connected to eating disorders. It should be used carefully, as it can sound clinical or sensitive.
Meaning
force food or contents out
Collocations
binge and purge
|purge after eating
|purge the stomach
|purge the contents
|purge using laxatives
|purge through vomiting
Synonyms
vomit (focuses only on bringing up stomach contents; does not include emptying the bowels or the idea of deliberate, repeated behavior)
Antonyms
retain (to keep food or substances in the body rather than expelling them)
Themes
medicine
|health
|body
Definition
to make yourself bring up food or empty your bowels to get food or poison out of your body
To cause the stomach or bowels to empty, especially by vomiting or using laxatives, in order to remove food, medicine, or poison from the body.
NOUN
B2
FORMAL
5
Usage pattern:
a purge of [people/things]
The arrests were followed by a widespread purge of senior military officers.
A letartóztatásokat a magas rangú katonai tisztek széles körű tisztogatása követte.
The software update included an automatic purge of temporary files.
A szoftverfrissítés tartalmazta az ideiglenes fájlok automatikus törlését.
After the scandal, there was a rapid purge of executives linked to the deal.
The party survived several brutal purges in the late 20th century.
The new policy triggered a quiet purge of inactive user accounts.
Learner examples
There was a big purge of old staff at the company.
Nagy tisztogatás volt a cégnél a régi dolgozók körében.
The leader started a purge of people who did not agree with him.
A vezető tisztogatást indított azok ellen, akik nem értettek vele egyet.
The system did a purge of old data.
Many officials lost their jobs in the purge.
The purge removed all fake accounts from the site.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "purge" as a countable thing like a person (e.g., *"He is a purge"*). It is an event or process, not a person. Use "He was a victim of the purge" instead.
Meaning
act of removing unwanted elements
Collocations
political purge
|internal purge
|a purge of dissidents
|a purge of corrupt officials
|a purge of old files
|leadership purge
Synonyms
clear-out (more informal and typically used for things, not people; sounds less severe than "purge")
Antonyms
intake (refers to the process of bringing people or things into a group, the opposite of removing them)
Themes
politics
|society
|technology
|work
Definition
an action or period when many people or things are removed from a group or place because they are not wanted
An act or process in which unwanted people or things are removed from an organization, system, or place, often suddenly and completely.
Grammar
Dictionary form
purge
IPA
GB/pˈɚd͡ʒ/
US/pˈɚd͡ʒ/
Syllables & stress
purge (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (purge)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: purge
- Plural: purges
Verb
- Base: purge
- 3rd Person Singular: purges
- Present Participle: purging
- Past: purged
Word family
Forms
purges
noun
purging
verb
purged
verb
Related words
purgative
adjective
Advanced or less common
purgation
noun
Expressions
binge and purge
1/bˈɪnd͡ʒ ˈænd pˈɚd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
overeat and then force it out
to eat a lot of food and then make yourself get rid of it, usually by vomiting or using laxatives, often as part of an eating disorder
Examples
- She described how she used to binge and purge several times a week.
- People who binge and purge often feel trapped in a harmful cycle.
- The documentary followed a young man who was secretly bingeing and purging.
binge and purge
1/bˈɪnd͡ʒ ˈænd pˈɚd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
technical
eat a lot, then compensate
to eat a lot and then try to get rid of it
Examples
- The therapist explained the binge and purge cycle and how it can become compulsive.
- Some people hide the fact that they binge and purge because they feel ashamed.
Learner examples
- Bulimia may include binge and purge behavior.
purge oneself of
1/pˈɚd͡ʒ wˌʌnsˈɛlf əv/
fixed phrase
formal
rid oneself of guilt or feelings
to make yourself free from bad feelings, such as guilt or shame, by letting them go or talking about them
Examples
- He hoped confession would help him purge himself of guilt.
- She tried to purge herself of resentment before the meeting.
- The novel follows a man who travels home to purge himself of old regrets.
purge someone from something
1/pˈɚd͡ʒ sˈʌmwˌʌn fɹˈʌm sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
remove a person from a group
to force a person to leave an organization or group because they are not wanted there
Examples
- The chairman was purged from the board after the scandal.
- Several journalists were purged from the network for criticizing the government.
- They tried to purge him from the party, but he refused to resign.
purge the cache
1/pˈɚd͡ʒ ðə kˈæʃ/
fixed phrase
technical
delete stored temporary data
to remove all saved temporary files or data from a computer system so that it is empty and can start fresh
Examples
- If the page is not updating, try purging the cache and reloading.
- The administrator purged the cache to free up space on the server.
- Users were told to purge the cache after the software upgrade.
purge the rolls
1/pˈɚd͡ʒ ðə ɹˈoʊlz/
fixed phrase
formal
remove people from voter lists
to take names off official voting lists, often because the people are thought not to be allowed to vote or no longer live there
Examples
- The state announced plans to purge the rolls ahead of the election.
- Critics said the effort to purge the rolls could block eligible voters.
- Officials must follow strict rules when they purge the rolls.
purge the system
1/pˈɚd͡ʒ ðə sˈɪstəm/
fixed phrase
clear unwanted substances from system
to remove harmful or unwanted substances from a system, machine, or body so that they are no longer inside it
Examples
- The treatment is supposed to purge the system of toxins.
- They purged the system to get rid of trapped air and rust.
- The diet claims to purge your system in just three days.