purpose

Compared meaning: a person's goal or plan (noun).

比较义项：目的、意图、打算（某人计划做的事，或做某事的原因）（名词）。

• purpose 本词

  Focuses on the reason behind something — why it exists or is done — rather than a future goal; often used with 'the purpose of'.

  强调某事背后的原因，即为什么存在或为什么去做，而不是未来的目标；常用于“……的目的”这类表达。

  Nobody understood the real purpose of the new office rule.

  没有人理解这项新办公室规定的真正目的。

• intent

  Formal, often legal, word for a deliberate plan behind an act; common in the fixed phrase 'with intent to', rarely used for everyday personal plans.

  正式用词，常用于法律语境，指行为背后的蓄意计划；常见于固定搭配“带着……的意图”，很少用于日常个人计划。

  He entered the building with intent to steal valuable equipment.

  他带着盗窃贵重设备的意图闯入了大楼。

• intention

  The everyday word for what someone personally means to do; common in speech, especially in phrases like 'have no intention of' or 'good intentions'.

  日常用词，指某人本人打算做的事；常用于口语，尤其是“没有……的打算”或“良好的意图”这类表达。

  I have no intention of moving to another city next year.

  我没有打算明年搬到另一个城市。

• aim

  A goal someone works toward achieving in the future; more concrete and forward-looking than 'purpose', often paired with 'achieve' or 'reach'.

  指某人努力想要在未来实现的目标；比purpose更具体、更面向未来，常与“实现”“达到”搭配使用。

  Her main aim is to open her own bakery someday.

  她的主要目标是有朝一日开一家属于自己的面包店。

Purpose, intent, intention, and aim all mean a goal or reason for doing something, but they differ. Purpose is the reason something exists or is done. Intent is formal, often legal. Intention is the everyday word for a personal plan. Aim is a concrete goal.

这几个词在这个意义上都表示做某事的目的或打算，但语气和正式程度不同：purpose强调做某事的原因或作用；intent比较正式，常见于法律语境中的固定搭配“带着……的意图”；intention是日常口语中表达个人打算时最常用的词；aim则强调努力想要达成的具体目标。此处不比较aim作动词表示“瞄准”、intent作形容词表示“专注于”的用法。

Compared meaning: what something is used for (noun).

比较义项：某物的用途／功能（名词）。

• use

  The most general word for what something is used for; casual and concrete, often plural ('several uses') or paired with 'find a use for'.

  最普通的词，指某物可以怎样被利用；比较口语化、具体，常用复数形式（'several uses'）或搭配'find a use for'。

  People have found a clever new use for old tyres as garden planters.

  人们为旧轮胎找到了一个巧妙的新用途，把它们用作花园花盆。

• purpose 本词

  Stresses the goal or reason something was made or done for; more formal and abstract than 'use', usually singular, and common for planned events or designed objects.

  强调某物被制造出来或某件事被做的目的／原因，比use更正式、更抽象，通常用单数，常用于有计划的活动或专门设计的物品。

  The purpose of the fire drill was to prepare everyone for a real emergency.

  这次消防演习的目的是让大家为真正的紧急情况做好准备。

• function

  Highlights the specific role a part plays within a system, machine or organism, so it pairs naturally with body parts, buttons and mechanisms rather than abstract goals.

  强调某个部件在系统、机器或有机体中所起的具体作用，常与身体器官、按钮、装置搭配，而不是抽象的目的。

  The main function of the heart is to pump blood around the body.

  心脏的主要功能是把血液泵送到全身。

Use, purpose, and function describe what something is for, but they differ. Use is the general, casual word. Purpose is formal, about the goal behind a design. Function is a part's role in a system or machine. 'On purpose' is not compared here.

这三个词都可以表示某物是用来做什么的，但语气和搭配不同：use最口语化，常指实际的使用方式；purpose更正式，强调设计或行动背后的目的；function则强调在系统、机器或身体器官中所起的具体作用。这里不比较use作动词「使用某物」、function作动词「运转、起作用」，以及purpose在固定短语「on purpose（故意）」中的用法。