purged
purged — noun
1. a single action of clearing away things that are unwanted, impure, or harmful fr
a single action of clearing away things that are unwanted, impure, or harmful from a person, place, or collection
After the scandal, Nikhil began a thorough purge of his old emails and social media posts.
collocation: a purge of [unwanted things]
The kitchen needed a complete purge of everything that had gone bad in the fridge.
Hyun did an emotional purge at dawn — writing regrets on paper and dropping them into a bowl of water.
A purge of old bank records left the finance team with only the current year's documents.
- clear-out
more informal, especially for tidying a physical space
- cleansing
softer tone, often used for spiritual or emotional clearing
- elimination
focuses on complete removal, without the idea of making something pure
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 ('POLITICAL PURGE'): this sense covers any act of clearing out — physical objects, emotions, records, or impurities.
2. a campaign by those in power to drive people out of a party, government, or orga
a campaign by those in power to drive people out of a party, government, or organization on grounds of suspected disloyalty or political unreliability
The new president ordered a purge of senior generals suspected of plotting against the government.
collocation: a purge of [group]
Zayd's grandfather lost his university post during the political purges of the 1970s.
After General Okonkwo seized power, a swift purge removed every officer who had served under the old president.
On Monday, Trang found a party purge had stripped her three closest colleagues of their posts and security passes.
Lev arrived at the tractor factory in 1937 to find his foreman gone — another victim of the Stalinist purge.
- crackdown
broader: a sudden action to stop something, not necessarily removing people
- expulsion
focuses on forcing someone out; less systematic than a purge
- house-cleaning
informal metaphor for firing or replacing many people at once
用法筆記
Almost always political or institutional. Distinguish from sense 1 ('ACT OF CLEANSING'), which covers non-political clearing out.
3. a substance, process, or event that removes something unwanted or harmful — for
a substance, process, or event that removes something unwanted or harmful — for example, a laxative that empties the bowels, or a software tool that deletes old data
The herbal tea worked as a gentle purge, settling Tunde's stomach after days of rich meals.
collocation: gentle purge
Old medical textbooks describe bloodletting as a purge to balance the body's four humours.
Eve walked into the courthouse knowing the trial was her purge — the false accusations would soon be gone.
Paul ran a data purge every Friday to delete unused files from the office server.
- purgative
more common in medical contexts (a laxative)
- cleaner
everyday word for any substance that removes dirt or stains
- detoxifier
informal, often used in alternative health for something that removes 'toxins'
用法筆記
Rare outside technical or historical contexts. The related word 'purgative' is more common for medical substances.
purged — verb
- purgedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- purgeds3rd person singular
- purgeding-ing form
- purgededpast simple
1. to make a person, place, or system clean and free again by removing everything h
to make a person, place, or system clean and free again by removing everything harmful, impure, or unwanted from it
Adina spent the weekend purging her flat of old clothes, broken furniture, and dusty papers.
purge [place] of [unwanted things]
The therapist helped Paul purge the guilt he had carried since the accident years earlier.
metaphorical: purge guilt / negative emotion
Tunde spent the morning purging the overgrown vegetable patch of thorny weeds and ivy before planting carrots and spring onions.
After the breakup, Fatima purged her phone of every photo, message, and contact linked to her ex-boyfriend.
Eve tried to purge every trace of her ex-husband from the house after the divorce was final.
- contaminate
to make something impure or dirty by adding harmful things
文法句型
purge + [place/system/oneself] + of + [unwanted thing]
用法筆記
The most common sense. Takes 'of' to introduce what is being removed. Subject can be a person or an institution. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense removes unwanted things (guilt, weeds, clutter), not people from organizations.
常見錯誤
2. to force people out of a political party, government, or organization because th
to force people out of a political party, government, or organization because those in power dislike their views or doubt their loyalty
The new party leader purged dozens of officials who had supported his rival in the election.
purge + [group] for political reasons
Renata was purged from the board after she spoke publicly against the company's chairman.
passive: be purged from [organization]
When the regime changed, the secret police purged anyone with ties to the former government.
Noa, the newsroom editor, refused to purge her reporters even after two of them criticized her new policy in print.
- appoint
to give someone a position rather than take it away
文法句型
purge + [person/group] + from + [organization]
用法筆記
Almost always used for political or institutional removals. Frequently passive ('was purged from the party'). Distinguish from sense 3 ('STRIKE FROM LIST'), which is narrower and focused on records.
常見錯誤
3. to delete names or entries from an official record, often unfairly, in secret, o
to delete names or entries from an official record, often unfairly, in secret, or against the rules
Someone at the election office had purged Alessia's name from the voter rolls by mistake.
collocation: purge [name] from [list]
The charity discovered that hundreds of donors had been purged from their records without warning.
passive: be purged from records
Rin found her son's name had been purged from the school register without any explanation.
Voters were turned away because their names had been illegally purged from the district database.
- delete
everyday word for removing data; no suggestion of unfairness
- strike off
suggests formal removal from a professional register or list
- erase
suggests complete removal, leaving no trace
- register
to add a name to an official list
文法句型
be purged from + [list/register/database]
用法筆記
Only this sense takes a list, register, or database as the source. The action is often seen as unjust or secretive. Distinguish from sense 2 ('REMOVE POLITICALLY'), which targets people in organizations, not entries on paper.
4. to force food and waste out of your body deliberately — for example, by vomiting
to force food and waste out of your body deliberately — for example, by vomiting or using strong laxatives — often a sign of an eating disorder
Nikhil's doctor warned him that purging after meals was damaging his throat and tooth enamel.
medical: purging after eating
A nurse at Ashford clinic caught Priya purging in the toilet after group dinner — she hid it for months.
intransitive: purge (without object)
One evening, Hyun broke down and told her mother she had been purging in the bathroom three times a day.
The therapist gently asked Zayd whether he ever used laxatives to purge after large meals.
文法句型
purge (after meals)
purge + [food] + from the body
用法筆記
In this medical/eating-disorder sense, 'purge' is often used intransitively (without an object): 'she purges after every meal.' Avoid using this word casually to mean 'vomit' — it carries clinical weight.