to good purpose


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to good purpose

To something's most positive, most effective, or most beneficial utility. Twenty years later, he's finally putting those programming skills to good purpose, designing tracking software for local park rangers to help combat poaching. The seminar aims to help people channel their negative emotions and impulses to good purpose, translating that energy into creative expression. Yeah, I was laid off, but I turned my time off to good purpose and traveled the world.
See also: good, purpose
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

to good purpose

To effective use, as in A donation to the homeless shelter will be put to good purpose. This idiom was first recorded in 1553. Also see to little or no purpose.
See also: good, purpose
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

to little/good/some/no ˈpurpose

(formal) with little, good, etc. result or effect: Another meeting was held, to little purpose. ♢ She had used the profits to good purpose and upgraded their software.
See also: good, little, no, purpose
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

to good purpose

With good results.
See also: good, purpose
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive ?
And while her affected Locust Valley lockjaw probably doesn't endear her to the middle-class women she's targeting, she does marshal her middle-class ethnic background to good purpose in her books and magazine.
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Among Sorel's works are Le Proces de Socrate (1889), an anti-intellectualist tract; Introduction a l ' economie moderne (1903), a hopeful view of technology controlled and used to good purpose by man; and Les Illusions de progres (1908).
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``Players are comfortable on the ball, are happy to receive it and always aim to use it to good purpose. ''
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Kieren Fallon and Mark Johnston team up rarely, but when they do, it's to good purpose. Torrens has plenty to recommend him besides the
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Lima could use home advantage to good purpose against 500-1 Wentworth shocker Scott Drummond in the Paris 72-holers.
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It was a slope that Caldy did not use to good purpose in the first period and on eight minutes they found themselves three points behind when prop Bailey kicked a penalty.
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He would not mind paying were he convinced that he got "money's worth" and that his payments were devoted to good purpose. Unfortunately he is well aware that most of them are wasted on crazy projects of armament or adventure all over the globe.
Daily Mirror 100 years: Post Date
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