purpose
/ˈpɜːpəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpɜːrpəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpər-pəs/ (ame, mw)
purpose — 名詞
- purposesingular
- purposesplural
1. the reason that leads someone to take a particular action, or the result they ho
目的；用意
做某事的原因或希望達成的結果
the reason that leads someone to take a particular action, or the result they hope to reach by doing it
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss new safety rules at the factory.
這次會議的主要目的是討論工廠的新安全規定。
the purpose of [something] — reason for an event
Harper started jogging every morning with the purpose of building up her strength.
Harper 每天早晨開始慢跑，目的是增強體力。
with the purpose of [doing something]
What is the purpose of that small button next to the screen on your laptop?
你筆電螢幕旁邊那個小按鈕的用途是什麼？
Lien's purpose in visiting the library was to find old books about Taiwanese history.
Lien 去圖書館的目的是想找一些關於台灣歷史的舊書。
The experiment failed but still served a useful purpose by showing what does not work.
那項實驗雖然失敗了，但仍發揮了有用的作用，證明了哪些方式是行不通的。
文法句型
the purpose of [something]
[someone's] purpose in [doing something]
with the purpose of [doing something]
用法筆記
Frequently used with possessive adjectives (my purpose, his purpose, the purpose). This sense is both countable ('many purposes') and uncountable ('for what purpose?').
常見錯誤
2. if something happens on purpose, it is done deliberately and because the person
故意地
刻意去做，並非意外
if something happens on purpose, it is done deliberately and because the person wanted it to happen, not by accident or chance
Theo tripped his friend on purpose just to make the other kids laugh.
Theo 故意絆倒他的朋友，只是想讓其他小孩笑。
on purpose — deliberately, not by accident
Ayana did not break the glass on purpose — her hand slipped while she washed it.
Ayana 不是故意打破玻璃杯的——她在洗杯子時手滑了。
contrast: on purpose vs by accident
Nobody jumps into an icy river on purpose unless trying to save someone.
除非是為了救人，沒有人會故意跳進冰冷的河水裡。
Ritu knew her brother hid her shoes on purpose because he was angry.
Ritu 知道弟弟是故意把她的鞋子藏起來的，因為他在生她的氣。
The driver stopped the bus on purpose to let an old woman cross the street.
司機故意把公車停下來，好讓一位老婦人安全過馬路。
- deliberately
more formal than 'on purpose'; 'he deliberately ignored her question'
- intentionally
sounds slightly more neutral; 'she intentionally left the door unlocked'
- by accident
the natural opposite; 'I found the letter by accident while cleaning'
- by mistake
suggests an unintended error; 'I took your bag by mistake'
文法句型
on purpose
用法筆記
This sense only appears in the fixed phrase 'on purpose'. Always used as an adverb meaning 'intentionally'. Cannot be replaced with 'by purpose' or 'for purpose'. The opposite of 'on purpose' is 'by accident' or 'by mistake'.
常見錯誤
3. a firm inner drive that comes from believing your actions have genuine meaning a
目標感；決心
覺得生活有意義的堅定感受
a firm inner drive that comes from believing your actions have genuine meaning and value
After retiring, Nila found a new sense of purpose by teaching children how to read.
退休後，Nila 透過教小朋友閱讀找到了新的目標感。
sense of purpose
Rodrigo trained every morning with great purpose, knowing he was preparing for a national competition.
Rodrigo 每天早上都帶著明確的目標練習，他知道自己正在為全國比賽做準備。
with great purpose — determination in action
Adaeze felt she lost her purpose in life after the hospital where she worked closed.
Adaeze 工作的醫院關閉後，她覺得自己失去了生活的目標。
The community project gave Henrik a sense of purpose that he had never experienced before.
那個社區計畫帶給 Henrik 前所未有的目標感。
Volunteering at the animal shelter filled Eli with purpose and made his weekends meaningful.
在動物收容所做志工讓 Eli 充滿了使命感，也讓他的週末變得有意義。
- determination
focuses on the resolve itself rather than the reason; 'she showed great determination'
- resolve
more formal, suggests firm decision; 'his resolve never weakened'
- drive
informal, suggests energetic motivation; 'she has a lot of drive'
- aimlessness
the state of having no direction or reason; 'he drifted through life with aimlessness'
文法句型
sense of purpose
[someone's] purpose in life
give [someone] purpose
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person. Frequently used with verbs like 'find', 'lose', 'give', 'have'. Often appears in the phrase 'sense of purpose' — this is the most common collocation for this sense. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 asks 'why?' (the reason), while sense 3 describes a deep inner feeling of meaning.
常見錯誤
4. what a given situation demands for something to work properly or produce the des
需要
特定情況下所需的東西
what a given situation demands for something to work properly or produce the desired effect
A simple hammer will serve our purpose for hanging this picture on the wall.
只要一把簡單的鐵鎚就能滿足我們掛這幅畫在牆上的需要。
serve [someone's] purpose
For the purpose of this test, assume the water temperature stays the same.
就這個測試的目的而言，假設水溫保持不變。
for the purpose of [something] — formal framing
The old wooden bench served its purpose as a table during our park picnic.
那張舊木長凳在公園野餐時充當了桌子的功能。
Harper needed a quiet room, and the corner library served that purpose well.
Harper 需要一個安靜的空間，街角那間小圖書館正好符合需求。
The equipment was old but still fit for purpose, so the team kept using it.
設備雖然舊了，但仍然合用，所以團隊決定繼續使用。
- need
simpler and more direct; 'this tool meets our need'
- requirement
more formal; 'the software satisfies all our requirements'
文法句型
serve [someone's] purpose
for the purpose of [something]
fit for purpose
用法筆記
Common in fixed expressions: 'serve the purpose', 'serve its purpose', 'fit for purpose'. Unlike sense 1, this sense does NOT ask 'why?' — it asks 'is this thing suitable for what we need?' The phrase 'for the purpose of' in this sense introduces a hypothetical or methodological frame.
常見錯誤
5. the specific way something can be used, or the job that a thing or system is mea
用途；功能
某物被使用的方式或功能
the specific way something can be used, or the job that a thing or system is meant to do
This Swiss knife has many purposes — it cuts rope, opens bottles, and removes splinters.
這把瑞士刀有許多用途——可以割繩子、開瓶蓋、挑刺。
has many purposes — multiple uses
The purpose of a fire extinguisher is to put out small fires before they grow.
滅火器的用途是在小火蔓延前將它撲滅。
Jisoo found a clever purpose for the old boxes by turning them into storage bins.
Jisoo 為那些舊紙箱找到了一個巧妙的用途，把它們變成了收納箱。
A smartphone serves the purpose of a camera, a map, and a music player.
一支智慧型手機可以同時當作相機、地圖和音樂播放器來使用。
The new machine is a dual-purpose tool that both cuts wood and polishes metal surfaces.
這台新機器是雙用途工具，既可以切割木材，也可以打磨金屬表面。
文法句型
serve a purpose
have a purpose
[something] has many purposes
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 5 describes the FUNCTION of a thing ('what does it do?'), while sense 1 asks about the REASON ('why was it done?'). For objects, sense 5 is the default meaning. For people's actions, sense 1 is the default.
常見錯誤
purpose — 動詞
- purposepresent simple I / you / we / they
- purposes3rd person singular
- purposing-ing form
- purposedpast simple
1. to set something as your own aim or goal, and act with the clear intention of ac
打算；立意
將某事訂為自己的目標
to set something as your own aim or goal, and act with the clear intention of achieving it
The organization purposes to provide clean drinking water to every village in the region by 2030.
該組織立志要在 2030 年前為該地區每個村莊提供乾淨的飲用水。
purpose to [do something] — formal register
The committee purposed to finish its report before the end of the financial year.
委員會打算在財政年度結束前完成報告。
The government purposed to reform the national healthcare system after years of public complaints.
在多年的民眾抱怨之後，政府立意改革全國醫療體系。
Zayd purposed to never give up on his dream of becoming a pilot.
Zayd 下定決心，無論過程多麼艱難，絕不放棄當飛行員的夢想。
The charity purposes to build twenty new schools in rural areas over five years.
這間慈善機構打算在未來五年內於偏鄉地區興建二十所新學校。
- intend to
the standard modern alternative; 'I intend to finish the project by Friday'
- aim to
suggests a target; 'the company aims to double its sales'
- resolve to
emphasises firm decision; 'she resolved to change her habits'
文法句型
purpose to [do something]
用法筆記
Significantly less common than the noun form. In modern English, 'purpose' as a verb is very formal and sounds literary. 'Intend to' or 'aim to' is much more natural in everyday speech. The verb is almost always followed by a to-infinitive clause.