English Reference
Idiom idiom

lighten someone's purse


to take money from someone.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The expensive dinner really lightened my purse.

CONTEXTUAL

The street vendors were very persuasive and managed to lighten my purse before I even reached the museum.

COMPLEX

After a long afternoon of browsing the luxury boutiques, the tourists found that their shopping spree had significantly lightened their purses.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  2. 02

    answer someone's prayers

    To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  3. 03

    answer to someone's prayers

    Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  4. 04

    apple of someone's eye

    The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.

  5. 05

    bane of someone's existence

    Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.

  6. 06

    bash someone's face in

    To beat someone violently.

  7. 07

    bash someone's head

    To beat up someone violently.

  8. 08

    be someone's to lose

    To be anticipated to be won by someone.

Last updated August 10, 2026