- control of finance or expenditure (esp in such phrases as hold or control the purse strings)
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
purse′ strings′,
- the right or power to manage the disposition of money:in control of the family purse strings.
- Idioms hold the purse strings, to have the power to determine how money shall be spent.
- Idioms loosen or tighten the purse strings, to increase or decrease expenditures or the availability of money:The budget committee is in the process of tightening the purse strings.
- late Middle English 1375–1425
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
purse strings pl n