on purpose

	The Tea room(+) is discussing this entry at the moment.
	Please come along and share your opinions on this and the other topics being discussed there.

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

on purpose

1. (idiomatic) By design, as opposed to by accident; intentionally; deliberately. [from 16th c.]

   Synonyms: deliberately, intentionally, purposefully, willfully

   Antonyms: by accident, on accident

   That wasn't an accident! You did it on purpose!

2. (now rare) In order to (do something); with the objective that. [from 16th c.]
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:

     Blifil bowed and stammered, and looked like a fool; but Western, without giving him time to form a speech for the purpose, answered, “Well, well, I am to blame, if you will, I always am, certainly; but come, let the girl be fetched back again, or let Mr Blifil go to her.——He’s come up on purpose, and there is no time to be lost.”

   • 1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview, published 2001, page 260:

     I send this to the town, on purpose to have it reach you by the earliest post […] .

• accidentally on purpose

• malice aforethought
• purposefully