purchases

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of purchase.

   The store offers free returns on all purchases over fifty dollars.

   Holiday purchases pushed her credit card balance higher than usual.

   Note

   Two everyday meanings share this plural: acts of buying and the things bought. So "her purchases" can mean the shopping trips or the bags she carries home. The mechanical meaning works differently. It names a hold or leverage for moving heavy loads, as with a lever, tackle or capstan, and it is used only as a mass noun. A crowbar needs purchase, never purchases.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of purchase.

   The company purchases raw materials from several overseas suppliers.

   Whenever she travels, she purchases a small souvenir for her sister.

   Note

   Beyond buying with money, the verb has a wider reach. Someone who purchases something may pay with labor, danger or sacrifice, as when a nation purchases peace at great cost. The verb also has a mechanical use: to raise or move a load with a lever or tackle. That is the verb side of the leverage meaning, which the plural noun cannot carry.

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