# lighten someone's purse

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/lighten-someones-purse
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

to take money from someone.

## Examples

- The expensive dinner really lightened my purse.
- The street vendors were very persuasive and managed to lighten my purse before I even reached the museum.
- After a long afternoon of browsing the luxury boutiques, the tourists found that their shopping spree had significantly lightened their purses.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.