Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having many purposes or uses.

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

  • adjective not limited in use or function.

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

  • adjective for all purposes; general-purpose

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

  • adjective not limited in use or function

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • McIntoshes cook pretty well, as do so-called all-purpose apples like Granny Smith.

    NYT > Home Page By MARK BITTMAN 2011

  • This is a very simple, all-purpose sauce that you can freeze in ice-cube trays.

    Giorgio Locatelli's Italian Christmas recipes 2011

  • At the restaurant, quemo is an all-purpose warning: behind you, coming through, hot stuff, watch your back.

    The Sorcerer’s Apprentices Lisa Abend 2011

  • At the restaurant, quemo is an all-purpose warning: behind you, coming through, hot stuff, watch your back.

    The Sorcerer’s Apprentices Lisa Abend 2011

  • A great, all-purpose rule is, position yourself as far away from the food as possible.

    The Small Change Diet Keri Gans 2011

  • His 2,510 all-purpose yards were the fifth-most in league history.

    Team MVPs for 2009: Who were NFL's top performers this year? 2010

  • Drake, rated the No. 8 all-purpose back in the nation by Rivals, reportedly has run a 4. 4-second 40, and he rushed for 1,376 yards with 13 TDs for Skyline High School.

    Colorado State - Team Notes 2010

  • Delaware Cry Babies (Kim O'Donnel's testing notes are in italics)Ingredients:•1 cup vegetable oil•1 cup brown sugar•2 eggs, beaten (I used large eggs.)•1 cup molasses•4 cups all-purpose flour•½ tsp. salt•1 tsp. cinnamon•1 tsp. nutmeg (I used tsp.)•2 tsp. baking soda•1 cup boiling waterDirections:Preheat oven to 375 F.Using a handheld electric mixer, "cream" oil and brown sugar together.

    In honor of Mother's Day, our readers dished dear Mom's recipes 2011

  • Meggett wound up as a two-time Pro Bowl selection and ranks 37th in league history in all-purpose yards.

    After 25 years, Mel Kiper still owns NFL draft hype machine 2009

  • In many ways, Ms. Peyroux's blend of jazz, pop, country, blues and folk music has been a precursor of the formula that has sold millions of records for Norah Jones in the last decade, and the archetype for the generic, all-purpose voice that is inescapable these days, when almost every singer that comes over the loudspeaker at Starbucks offers some variation on the Peyroux-Jones sound.

    Planning Her Own Holiday Will Friedwald 2011

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