purging

[pur-jing]

adjective

1. having a clearing, emptying, or purifying effect.

   Her fears of death have passed like a cloud, absorbed in the purging sunlight of clear poetry.

2. having to do with deliberate or induced vomiting or evacuation of the bowels: These purging drugs have an excellent safety record.

   Many physical conditions result from the purging aspect of bulimia, including electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal problems, and dental issues.

   These purging drugs have an excellent safety record.

noun

1. the action of clearing, emptying, or purifying.

   It may require a lot of focused work involving the purging of old habits and harsh self-judgment.

   The drugs have been used clinically in the purging of T-cells or tumor cells from bone marrow before transplantation.

2. the act of removing or expelling people who are considered disloyal or otherwise unwanted from an organization, political party, nation, etc..

   The judge has granted a temporary injunction stopping the purging of voter registration rolls.

   The rebels’ key negotiating point was the purging of the armed forces as a first condition.

3. deliberate or induced vomiting or evacuation of the bowels: The medication affects the salivary glands, tear ducts, intestines, and bowels, and can cause violent purging.

   Binge eating can also occur on its own without the purging that occurs with bulimia.

   The medication affects the salivary glands, tear ducts, intestines, and bowels, and can cause violent purging.

Word History and Origins

Origin of purging¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; purg(e) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; purg(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

We have got used to Amorim speaking from the heart and, in explaining why he said what he did at Grimsby, it was as though he was purging himself.

From BBC

A March executive order railed against “improper ideology” and “divisive narratives,” targeting the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for a historical purging.

From Salon

Previous leaders had made a show of purging dozens or even hundreds of police officers that they claimed were rotten.

From Los Angeles Times

The agency has been purging officials since the Republican president returned to office in January.

From BBC

She outlined for the jury a secret struggle with bulimia, saying she had been regularly binge-eating and purging since her teens - something her defence team suggested accounted for her lack of symptoms.

From BBC