Prepositional phrase
- (idiomatic, US) For every functional purpose; in every practical sense; in every important respect; practically speaking.
- For all intents and purposes the case is closed.
- This treaty, for all intents and purposes, is no longer viable.
Origin
1500s, English law, originally “to all intents, constructions, and purposes” (found in an act adopted under Henry VIII in 1547).
