For All Intents and Purposes | Meaning & Examples
For all intents and purposes is an expression meaning ‘essentially’ or ‘in effect’. It’s used to say that something has the same outcome or result as something else.
The warring sides had, for all intents and purposes, agreed to a ceasefire.
The old laptop is, for all intents and purposes, useless.
For all intensive purposes or for all intents and purposes
‘For all intensive purposes’ is often mistakenly used instead of for all intents and purposes, but it is incorrect and best avoided. The mistake results from people mishearing the phrase.
‘Intents’ is used as a noun meaning ‘intentions’ or ‘designs’ in this expression. ‘Intensive’ is an adjective meaning ‘highly concentrated’ or ‘requiring great effort’, neither of which would make sense in this expression.
- The construction of the new theater is, for all intents and purposes, complete.
- The construction of the new theater is, for all intensive purposes, complete.
To all intents and purposes
To all intents and purposes is a less common version of the expression for all intents and purposes. While to all intents and purposes begins with the preposition ‘to’ instead of ‘for’, it has the same meaning as for all intents and purposes, and they can be used interchangeably.
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If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
Confused words
Definitions
US vs. UK spellings
Frequently asked questions
- What is a synonym of ‘for all intents and purposes’?
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Some synonyms of for all intents and purposes are:
- Effectively
- Essentially
- In effect
- In essence
- More or less
- Practically
- Virtually
- What does for all intensive purposes mean?
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‘For all intensive purposes’ is a common mispronunciation and misspelling of the phrase for all intents and purposes.
As ‘intensive’ is an adjective meaning ‘highly concentrated’ or ‘requiring great effort’, it doesn’t make sense in this expression. Instead, you need the plural noun ‘intents’, meaning ‘intentions’ or ‘designs’.
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Ryan, E. (2022, December 02). For All Intents and Purposes | Meaning & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/definition/for-all-intents-and-purposes-meaning/
