province

noun

prov·​ince ˈprä-vən(t)s How to pronounce province (audio)
1
a
: a country or region brought under the control of the ancient Roman government
b
: an administrative district or division of a country
c
provinces plural : all of a country except the metropolises
2
a
: a division of a country forming the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan
b
: a territorial unit of a religious order
3
a
: a biogeographic division of less rank than a region
b
: an area that exhibits essential continuity of geologic history
also : one characterized by particular structural or petrological features
4
a
: proper or appropriate function or scope : sphere
that question is outside my province
b
: a department of knowledge or activity
Choose the Right Synonym for province

function, office, duty, province mean the acts or operations expected of a person or thing.

function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work.

the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information Aldous Huxley

office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others.

they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor W. E. Gladstone

duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case R. B. Taney

province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one.

I felt it was not my province to inquire Anne Brontë

Examples of province in a Sentence

They left the city for life in the provinces. a legal question outside the doctor's province
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
They were first spotted together in November 2022, when the pair visited Provincia de Puntarenas (a province located on Costa Rica's coast) with her two kids. Charna Flam, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024 Ontario, Canada's second largest province covering more than 415,000 square miles, is home to many charming small towns and cities ready to welcome travelers from around the world. Miriam Porter, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 Officials in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province of 127 million people, have drafted a letter to the Indian government to open a dialogue on the issue, Punjabi Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Raja Jahangir Anwar said on Monday. Sophia Saifi, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024 Those reluctant to give birth have often cited the same reasons as Huang, district-level officials from three provinces told SCMP. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for province 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin provincia

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of province was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near province

Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/province. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

province

noun
prov·​ince ˈpräv-ən(t)s How to pronounce province (audio)
1
a
: a country or region brought under the control of the ancient Roman government
b
: a usually large division of a country having its own government
Canadian provinces
c
plural : all of a country except the chief cities
2
: the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan
3
: proper or appropriate business or area of skill, knowledge, or interest
a legal question outside the physician's province

More from Merriam-Webster on province

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