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to purport

to purport

69 8.0
To claim to be or do something, often without proof
  • verb
  • /pərˈpɔrt/
  • Formal
translation icon : pretender
  • And yet here is an organization that purports to be anti-fascist.
  • purport to represent
  • purport to offer
  • purport to explain

So yeah, we're, we're not the angels that we purport we are to be.

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Examples

  • She purports to be an expert on the subject, yet her arguments lack substantial evidence.

  • Recent efforts by the Clinton administration purport to demonstrate a more cogent policy of "engagement" toward China.

    Academic text (1999)
  • There are two stories that purport to explain the event.

  • You purport to know a good deal about my son.

  • But we, not some God, purport to be the designers.

  • So yeah, we're, we're not the angels that we purport we are to be.

  • You know, there is another book that purports to do just that.

  • It's meant to, it purports to represent the world as it is.

  • Has this House gone once to the people it purports to represent?

  • As technology advances, the number of investigative technologies that purport to detect only contraband will increase further.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

to claim
vsto purport
2.3

To say something is true, often without proof

focuses specifically on presenting personal status or actions rather than general facts
to allege
vsto purport
  • Literature
497 5.3

To say that something is true without giving proof

emphasizes presenting personal role or action rather than general accusation
to pretend
vsto purport
89 3.9

To say you know or can do something when you do not

adds the idea of presenting personal status or action as factual
to profess
vsto purport
72 5.9

To say you believe or support something, often without meaning it

is more about showing oneself as having a role or action
to misrepresent
vsto purport
71 6.9

Give a false story about someone or something to trick people

focuses more narrowly on presenting oneself as something without proof
to impersonate
vsto purport
70 7.2

Pretend to be another person by copying their looks, voice or actions

focuses on stating or presenting a personal role or action without proof
to portray oneself as
vsto purport
43 5.3

To show yourself as a certain kind of person to make others think that way

is about claiming identity or action often without evidence
to feign
vsto purport
40 7.2

Pretend to feel something, like surprise or interest, to trick other people

is broader, covering claims about roles or actions not only feelings
to make out
vsto purport
  • Informal
27 6.0

To pretend or claim something is true when it is not

focuses on presenting oneself as being or doing something without proof
to masquerade
vsto purport
26 6.9

To pretend to be someone else to hide the truth

is about verbal or stated presentation of oneself rather than full disguise
to pass off
vsto purport
18 6.9

To make something or someone look real when they are not

is about claiming personal status or action rather than selling an object
to assume
vsto purport
11 5.0

Pretend to have a quality or feeling

specifically involves claiming to be or do something often without proof
to sham
vsto purport
1 6.4

To pretend to be or feel something to trick people

is narrower, mainly about claiming personal status or actions without proof
to personate
vsto purport
1 9.9

Pretend to be another person to trick people or act in a role

is about claiming status or action through words rather than identity change

Antonyms

to disclaim
  • Formal
5 7.3

Say officially that you do not have a right, responsibility or part in something

How Assertive

to declare
  • Formal
950 3.7
to assert
229 3.9
to purport
  • Formal
69 8.0
to suggest
2.1

Surface Forms

purport infinitive
purported past
purported past participle
purporting present participle
purports third person singular

Etymology

Purport (verb) comes from the same Latin root portare, 'to carry'. To purport to do something is to 'carry' a claim about yourself, so you say you do it or are it even if that may not be true.