as in unlimited
not limited or specialized in application or purpose
a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs
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Recent Examples of general-purpose
The result is a general-purpose memory shortage that's caused prices to skyrocket.
—
Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
The Fed should not act as some general-purpose agency of the US government or as an appellate court for matters that are rightly debated and decided elsewhere.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
These fertilizers are lower in nitrogen (the first number) compared to general-purpose fertilizers and are designed to help plants to bloom better.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2026
For example, a development team working with general-purpose base images may find that those images include packages that are not needed in production.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
The Fed should not act as some general-purpose agency of the US government or as an appellate court for matters that are rightly debated and decided elsewhere.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
These fertilizers are lower in nitrogen (the first number) compared to general-purpose fertilizers and are designed to help plants to bloom better.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2026
For example, a development team working with general-purpose base images may find that those images include packages that are not needed in production.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for general-purpose
Adjective
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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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Get unlimited digital access to Vogue including the May Issue for $3 $1/month for one year.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Much like the demonstrations two decades ago, organizers on Friday also called for a general boycott — no school, no work, no shopping — in an effort to demand that the country put workers above billionaires by taxing the rich.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
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The one issue for Banchero, and the Magic in general, was free-throw shooting.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Draisaitl is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2033.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Grier took a conservative approach to the trade deadline, only sending out defenseman Timothy Liljegren while keeping his other pending unrestricted free agents.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“General-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/general-purpose. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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