noun
plural purses
[count] a US :a usually leather or cloth bag used by women for carrying money and personal things :handbag
b chiefly Brit :change purse
[singular] :an amount of money that a person, organization, or government has available to use
[count] :an amount of money that is offered as a prize in a competition (such as a horse race, a golf tournament, or a boxing match)
purse strings
A person, organization, or government that holds/controls the purse strings makes the decisions about how money is spent.
verb
purses; pursed; pursing
[+ obj] :to form (your lips) into a tight circle or line