were purchased at

USAGE SUMMARY

"were purchased at" is correct and can be used in written English.
It is a passive construction that is used to describe where something was bought or acquired. Example: The new furniture were purchased at a high-end store downtown.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Imagine two paintings were purchased at an art dealer in 1972, each for $10,000.

Stanford University

Sometimes this wisdom seems rueful: "The feelings you thought were genuine / were purchased at a discount".

The New York Times - Books

Less than 10 minutes later, five $500 money orders were purchased at another location.

The Washington Post

The guns were purchased at Annie's Get Your Gun, a gun store in Corona, Calif., The Los Angeles Times reported.

The New York Times

But the total earned, assuming all of those books were purchased at full price, is just over $5 million.

The Washington Post

Mutant DNAs were generated by PCR-based mutagenesis using the Quickchange mutagenesis kit (Stratagene), or were purchased at GenTech.

Nature

That investor might consult records to see whether any of the shares were purchased at, or very close to, yesterday's closing price of $43.38.

The New York Times

Both desks were purchased at Ikea.

Forbes

The items in the collection were purchased at different times.

Johns Hopkins University

They were purchased at high cost, it seems, as evinced by the 58percentt number.

TechCrunch

It found that 200 cards were purchased at Walmart stores across the country.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "were purchased at", ensure the location is specific and relevant to the context. For example, "The materials were purchased at the local hardware store" provides more clarity than "The materials were purchased".

Common error

Avoid vague statements by always including the specific location or vendor when using "were purchased at". This adds credibility and provides useful context to your writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "were purchased at" functions as a passive construction indicating the location where a purchase occurred. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness. It emphasizes where something was bought, as shown in examples like "The guns were purchased at Annie's Get Your Gun."

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

33%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "were purchased at" is a grammatically correct and commonly used passive construction, indicating the location of a purchase. Ludwig AI confirms its widespread use across various domains including News & Media, Science, and Academia. While alternatives like "were acquired from" or "were obtained at" exist, they carry slightly different nuances. Remember to include specific location details for clarity and relevance in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

were acquired from

Emphasizes the act of obtaining something, possibly through means other than direct purchase.

were obtained at

Focuses on the act of getting or securing something at a specific place.

were bought from

Highlights the commercial transaction and the seller.

were procured through

Suggests a more formal or official process of acquisition.

were sourced from

Implies finding and acquiring materials or products from a particular origin.

were secured at

Indicates that the acquisition might have involved some effort or competition.

were acquired by

Focuses on the agent that does the buying.

were picked up at

Suggests a casual or informal acquisition.

were found at

Highlights discovery rather than intentional purchase.

originated from

Highlights the source of origin.

FAQs

How can I use "were purchased at" in a sentence?

The phrase "were purchased at" indicates the location where items were bought. For example, "The ingredients for the cake were purchased at the farmer's market".

What can I say instead of "were purchased at"?

You can use alternatives like "were acquired from", "were obtained at", or "were bought from" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "was purchased at" instead of "were purchased at"?

Use "was purchased at" for singular nouns and "were purchased at" for plural nouns. For example, "The book was purchased at the bookstore", versus "The books were purchased at the bookstore".

What's the difference between "were purchased at" and "were bought at"?

While "were purchased at" and "were bought at" are often interchangeable, "were purchased at" can sometimes imply a more formal or official transaction than "were bought at".