Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Any purifying process.
  • noun A diarrhea or dysentery; looseness of the bowels.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Med.) The act of cleansing; excessive evacuations; especially, diarrhea.
  • adjective That purges; cleansing.
  • adjective (Bot.) an annual European plant of the genus Linum (Linum catharticum); dwarf wild flax; -- so called from its use as a cathartic medicine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of purge.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective serving to purge or rid of sin
  • noun an act of removing by cleansing; ridding of sediment or other undesired elements
  • noun the act of clearing yourself (or another) from some stigma or charge

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Malan identified what he calls the purging of whites from the ranks of civil service as the root cause of the decay.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2006

  • More than a smudge, actually, but the room has been purged to the extent that such purging is possible of the evidence of his death and so there is just this: the smudge.

    Smudge | Her Bad Mother 2009

  • If Obama's policies on Afghanistan, Iraq, health care, the economy, jobs, and any other major issues do not work out as expected, then an ideologue with the exact same mindset of Sarah Palin, Jim DeMint, and Michele Bachmann could become President IF the Republican Party is successful in purging out its moderates!

    CNN Poll: Obama approval under 50 percent 2009

  • And besides, I think it makes a nice contrast with a number of leading climate alarmist sites that do not accept comments or are Stalinist in purging dissent from them.

    Coyote Blog » Blog Archive » Banning Dissent, Even in Science 2009

  • Electronic purging is so much harder than physical organization, I think, because it takes up no space.

    Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » Top Tips for Maxing Out Your Productivity, Part 1 2009

  • I also liked the advice someone gave about being ruthless in purging things you really dont need (I like to bless others monthly by going thru my home and giving away STUFF).

    A Situation Common to All 2008

  • In the spring of 1794, Robespierre succeeded in purging first the ultra-radical Hébertists and then the "indulgent" Dantonists.

    Names 2007

  • With Ortner as the new director and Przibram's purging from the position of the first assistant, Karlik took over his responsibilities and most of his research agenda.

    Trafficking Materials and Gendered Experimental Practices: Radium Research in Early 20th Century Vienna 2007

  • The attorney general has repeatedly been caught changing his story about the extent of his involvement in purging eight federal prosecutors.

    Sunday Reading 2007

  • The little guy better take voter registration seriously and make sure he/she can participate in purging both the house and senate of people that refuse to represent them, otherwise they may remain in the slave camp for all time.

    Think Progress » Right-Wing Shelves Vote on Minimum Wage 2006

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