overriding purpose

collocation in English

meaningsofoverridingandpurpose

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withpurpose.
overriding
adjective[before noun]
uk
/ˌəʊ.vəˈraɪ.dɪŋ/us
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈraɪ.dɪŋ/
more important than ...
See more atoverriding
purpose
noun
uk
/ˈpɜː.pəs/us
/ˈpɝː.pəs/
why you do something or why ...
See more atpurpose

(Definition ofoverridingandpurposefrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofoverriding purpose

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
In contrast, a lingua franca has a single,overridingpurpose: to achieve unambiguous communication between people with mutually unintelligible tongues.
From theCambridge English Corpus
It is difficult to see why one should have to be committed to utilitarianism if one'soverridingpurpose is to realize certain perfectionist values, whether these be egalitarian or not.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Moodie portrays migrants as actively constructing a world of their own on the mines, whoseoverridingpurposewas to retain links to the land so as to resist proletarianisation.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Or is each move merely a step in the fulfilment of anoverridingpurposeto establish world domination?
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
To do so would produce a planning system whoseoverridingpurposewas to resist change.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
We regard the war purpose of victory as the first andoverridingpurposefor the present.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
There must surely be someoverridingpurposein enshrining this matter in the subsection.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
His long, busy, active life was dominated by oneoverridingpurpose—to serve his country and his fellow men.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
In war that is very simple, because there is only one singleoverridingpurposewhich all seek and serve.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It seems to me extremely helpful that this very brief statement of theoverridingpurposeshall appear clearly here.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
To fail in thatoverridingpurposewould be to set all our achievements at risk and to rule out any chance of reducing unemployment.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
But surely the generaloverridingpurposewas the increase of world trade.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Theoverridingpurposeof the reforms is to improve the management of offenders and reduce re-offending.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Theoverridingpurposemust be the secure custody of often dangerous criminals.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Therefore, theoverridingpurposeof social policy must be to build the cohesive society.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Itsoverridingpurposeis to establish what happened, particularly when so many lives were lost, and to learn lessons to help to avoid such a disaster in the future.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
We possess this deterrent capacity today for oneoverridingpurpose, namely to prevent the outbreak of a nuclear war.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It is only right for me to explain theoverridingpurpose.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
But we must bear in mind theoverridingpurposeof the exercise; namely, to make a direct and significant impact on costs and prices.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
I should make it clear that theoverridingpurposeof notification requirements is to monitor the whereabouts of registered offenders, not to prevent travel abroad.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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