To purge means to rid something of impurities, undesirable elements, or unwanted people. The term can be used in different contexts, such as:

• Cleansing: To cleanse or rid of impurities, foreign matter, or undesirable elements.
• Removing people: To get rid of people from an organization because you do not agree with them.
• Clearing guilt: To cleanse of guilt, sin, or ceremonial defilement.
• Evacuation: To empty the bowels or cause a person to empty the bowels.
• Political action: To rid a nation, political party, etc. of individuals held to be disloyal or undesirable.

Examples of the term in use include purging senior ranks of a department by offering them generous retirement packages, purging a political party of extremists, and purging a boiler of sediment or relieving a steam pipe of trapped air by bleeding.