purport
part of speech
verb (purport, purports, purported, purporting) — formal; noun (purport) — formal
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) To purport to be or do something is to claim to be or do it, when it may not be true. tree →
2) (formal) The purport of a text is its general meaning. tree →
sense in the lessons
It belongs to the formal exam and news voice. It warns the reader to be careful: «a letter purporting to be from the bank» may be a scam. In safety lessons about online tricks it is a key idea: something that purports to be official may be fake.
examples
- (formal) The email purports to be from the bank, but it is a scam. tree →
- (formal) The map purports to show hidden treasure. tree →
- (formal) He purports to be an expert. tree →
- (formal) The video purported to show a ghost. tree →
- (formal) Messages purporting to offer free prizes are often fake. tree →
- (formal) The purport of the letter was clear. tree →
- (everyday) The email says it's from the bank, but it isn't. tree →
- (formal) The study purports to prove that sugar helps memory. tree →
- Some words passed between them, but their exact purport will probably never be known. tree →
note
Formal. Stress: verb pur-PORT. «Purported» = claimed but not proven. Safety: «purports to be» is a warning sign — check before trusting.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «purport» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.