purporting

verb

present participle of purport
1
as in intending
to have in mind as a purpose or goal do you purport to spend the rest of your life on that couch, or do you think you might get a job someday?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in alleging
to state as a fact usually forcefully he purports to be an expert in criminalistics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purporting Pictures posted online purporting to show the site of the arrest showed several shirtless men handcuffed, sitting on the ground. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Sep. 2026 According to investigators, the 19-year-old victim responded to a Craigslist ad purporting to look for an overnight babysitter on July 27, 2016. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 The film depicts the world’s richest man as petty, narcissistic, megalomaniacal, cruel, detached from humans at a personal level (including various ex-partners and many of his children) while purporting to want to save humanity by colonizing Mars. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026 Fars later posted videos and images purporting to show the vessel out of the water. — Anniek Bao,spencer Kimball,kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026 In footage released by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, purporting to show the aftermath of a US strike, heavy smoke can be seen hanging in the air above rubble on the ground. — Zachary Cohen, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026 Those included letters from immigration authorities, Social Security cards and a Defense Department letter purporting to say the immigrants were enrolled in military health coverage. — Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 31 July 2026 Some catalytic event—a Reichstag Fire analogue, or another January 6, or a bogus declassification purporting to show foreign hackers changing votes—could be used to manufacture a phony rationale for emergency action. — James Robenalt, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026 Trump is purporting to follow the letter of the War Powers Resolution while mocking its spirit. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purporting
  1. intending
  2. alleging
  3. planning
  4. claiming
  5. trying
  6. insisting
  7. going
  8. asserting
Verb
  • In June 2022, a man traveled from California to Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland with a handgun, ammunition, a knife, and zip ties, intending to kill the justice.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Musk originally developed Starship for Mars, intending to launch scores of them with the red planet’s first settlers.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of intending
Verb
  • Lzzy Hale had an unequivocal message about the recent filing of a lawsuit by a former Cornell student alleging a gang rape and drugging in 2024.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The consignment came at a dire time for the gallery, which has faced multiple lawsuits in recent years, including one filed by artist Jeffrey Gibson, alleging the gallery was withholding hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales proceeds.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of alleging
Verb
  • Prince William and Prince Harry are both reportedly planning to honor the 30th anniversary of their mother, Princess Diana’s, death.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Democrats have warned in recent months that Trump is planning to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or the National Guard to polling stations, as the president has made election security one of his key objectives in his second term.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of planning
Verb
  • But anonymous Telegram channels claiming to be fact-checking organizations gained popularity and spread the false narrative there.
    — RENÉE DIRESTA, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Trans-exclusionary feminists like Julie Bindel or Kathleen Stock, and for that matter Davidson and Craven, enjoy regular access to the national media to delegitimize trans identity while claiming transgender people undermine women’s voices.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of claiming
Verb
  • Hamas has denied trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accuses Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Swift appears as a spectral figure trying to warn Johnson that, based on her own experience, her rich husband has more sinister intentions than his current bride imagines.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of trying
Verb
  • Accoridng to People, the King is insisting that his private funds not be used in Andrew’s legal dispute with the police.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2026
  • They were thoroughly dominated by Chicago in a 23-12 loss on Sunday, a performance that left fans increasingly frustrated and the Jets insisting the franchise's past failures weren't seeping into the locker room.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of insisting
Verb
  • The morning commute on I-80 declined from Rocklin ahead of the Capitol City Freeway split going toward I-5.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Their resilience is, frankly, the thing that keeps the rest of us going.
    — Philip Weinberg, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of going
Verb
  • Direct mail flyers sent to Charlotte homes in the south Charlotte area feature basket price comparisons against local grocers Food Lion and Harris Teeter, asserting competitive value on store-brand essentials alongside its premium offerings.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Shortly after Novig launched, the company slapped multiple states with lawsuits, asserting states cannot regulate the platform’s sports event contracts.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of asserting

Browse Nearby Words

purportedly
purporting
purports
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Cite this Entry

“Purporting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purporting. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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