purse
gb/pˈɚs/ us/pˈɚs/
B1
English
~ 9500
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
small bag for money and items
A small bag you carry, usually in your hand or on your shoulder, to keep money, cards, and other small things.
Usage pattern:
[someone] carries a [purse]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'purse' with 'wallet' and 'handbag'. In American English, 'purse' is usually a larger bag carried by a woman, and 'wallet' is the small flat case for money and cards. In British English, 'purse' is often a small container for money, and 'handbag' is the larger bag.
Synonyms
handbag (Common in British English for a woman's bag; in American English, 'purse' is more common.)
|
bag (More general; not specifically for money and small personal items.)
Collocations
designer purse
|leather purse
|lose my purse
|reach into her purse
|small black purse
|shoulder purse
Themes
daily life
|shopping
|fashion
|daily_life
|clothing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She dug through her purse to find her keys.
- I left my purse in the restaurant and had to go back for it.
- He bought her a new leather purse for her birthday.
- The thief grabbed her purse and ran down the street.
- She keeps her phone, wallet, and makeup in a small black purse.
Learner examples
- She carries her phone and money in a red purse.
- I cannot pay because I forgot my purse at home.
- He put the tickets safely in his wife’s purse.
- Her purse is very heavy because there are many things inside.
- My mother bought a new purse at the mall.
Noun
C1
entity
2
financial resources or funds
The amount of money that a person, group, or government can use.
Usage pattern:
[someone] pays from the [purse]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this meaning always refers to a physical bag. In phrases like 'the public purse' or 'the state purse', it is an abstract way to talk about money and budgets, not an actual bag.
Synonyms
funds (Very close in meaning; more common in financial and official contexts.)
|
treasury (Usually refers to a government’s or organization’s money, especially in formal contexts.)
Antonyms
debt (Refers to money that is owed rather than money that is available to spend.)
Collocations
the public purse
|state purse
|company purse
|from the public purse
|dip into the public purse
|control the purse
Themes
business
|government
|money
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Taxpayers are angry that the project will be financed from the public purse.
- The charity relies heavily on the government purse to fund its services.
- With the company purse almost empty, all non‑essential travel was cancelled.
- Opponents argue that the museum should not be supported by the national purse.
- As minister of finance, she controls the state purse.
Learner examples
- The new bridge will be paid for from the public purse.
- The school gets money from the city purse.
- He says art projects should not use the public purse.
- When the purse is low, the government cuts some programs.
- They want more control over the company purse.
unknown
B2
entity
3
prize money in competition
The money that players or winners receive in a sports game or other competition.
Usage pattern:
[a competition] offers a [amount] purse
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the everyday bag meaning. In sports news, 'purse' usually means prize money, not something you carry.
Synonyms
prize money (Very close in meaning and often used instead of 'purse', especially outside of sports jargon.)
Collocations
total purse
|million‑dollar purse
|cash purse
|prize purse
|share of the purse
|purse money
Themes
sports
|money
|finance
Examples
- The tournament offers a total purse of $3 million.
- She took home the winner’s share of the $500,000 purse.
- The race has one of the largest purses in professional cycling.
- In this championship, the purse is split among the top ten fighters.
- The organizers increased the purse to attract more top players.
Learner examples
- The golf match has a purse of one million dollars.
- He won the race and got most of the purse.
- This year, the purse is bigger than last year.
- They raised the purse to bring in famous athletes.
- The purse will be shared by the top three teams.
Verb
C1
action
4
press lips together tightly
To make your lips small and tight by pressing them together, often because you do not like something or are thinking.
Usage pattern:
[someone] purses [their] lips
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'purse' with 'purse up' or 'press' and may think it means 'to kiss'. It only means to make the lips small and tight, often to show a feeling like anger, worry, or doubt.
Synonyms
pucker (Very similar physical action; can be used for lips in many of the same situations, but 'pucker' is also common for kissing or tasting something sour.)
|
compress (More formal and technical; describes the physical action without the emotional suggestion.)
Antonyms
relax (Describes letting the lips return to a natural, loose position.)
Collocations
purse her lips
|purse his lips
|pursed lips
|purse his mouth
|purse her mouth
Themes
emotions
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She pursed her lips, clearly unhappy with the decision.
- He paused, pursing his lips as he considered the question.
- The teacher pursed her lips in disapproval when the student arrived late.
- He pursed his lips tightly to stop himself from laughing.
- At the bad news, her mouth pursed and her eyes filled with tears.
Learner examples
- She heard the rude comment and pursed her lips.
- He often purses his lips when he is angry.
- The child pursed his lips and said nothing.
- My mother pursed her lips when she saw the dirty room.
- The doctor pursed his lips before giving the bad news.
Grammar
Dictionary form
purse
IPA
GB/pˈɚs/
US/pˈɚs/
Syllables & stress
purse (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (purse)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: purse
- Plural: purses
Verb
- Base: purse
- 3rd Person Singular: purses
- Present Participle: pursing
- Past: pursed
Word family
Expressions
dip into the public purse
1/dˈɪp ˈɪntu ðə pˈʌblɪk pˈɚs/
idiom
use public money
To use government money, especially when some people think this use is not necessary or not right.
Examples
- Critics say the project unfairly dips into the public purse.
- The festival should find private sponsors instead of dipping into the public purse.
- They are reluctant to dip into the public purse during an economic crisis.
hold the purse strings
1/hˈoʊld ðə pˈɚs stɹˈɪŋz/
idiom
control spending decisions
To have the power to decide how money is used or who can spend it.
Examples
- In most households, one partner holds the purse strings.
- The board holds the purse strings and must approve all major purchases.
- Since the government holds the purse strings, it can influence local projects.
purse one's lips
1/pˈɚs wˈʌnz lˈɪps/
fixed phrase
press lips together tightly
To make your lips small and tight by pressing them together, usually because you do not like something or are thinking hard.
Examples
- She pursed her lips when she heard the price.
- He pursed his lips, unsure whether to answer.
- The manager pursed her lips at the joke, clearly not amused.
the public purse
1/ðə pˈʌblɪk pˈɚs/
fixed phrase
money of the government
Money that comes from taxes and belongs to the government, used to pay for public services.
Examples
- The new stadium will not be paid for from the public purse.
- They argue that support for the arts should come from the public purse.
- Corruption is a serious problem when officials misuse the public purse.
tighten the purse strings
1/tˈaɪtən ðə pˈɚs stɹˈɪŋz/
idiom
start spending less money
To start spending less money and be more careful with how money is used.
Examples
- With prices rising, many families are tightening the purse strings.
- The company had to tighten the purse strings after a poor sales year.
- After the holiday, we’ll need to tighten the purse strings for a while.