Which definition matches 'purchase' when referring to the act of buying something?

• A. the act of buying something
• B. an object that has been bought
• C. the process of selling something
• D. a receipt

Answer: (A)

Purchase as a noun most often means the act of buying something. You can say “to make a purchase” or “the purchase was completed,” which shows the action of buying. There is another sense where it can mean the thing that has been bought, used in phrases like “the purchase included a laptop,” but in this context we’re focusing on the act of buying. So the best match is the definition that expresses the act of buying. The other meanings—referring to the bought item, the selling process, or a receipt—are related but describe different aspects, not the act itself.