office

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noun of·fice \ ˈä-fəs , ˈȯ- \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of office

1 a :a special duty, charge, or position conferred by an exercise of governmental authority and for a public purpose :a position of authority to exercise a public function and to receive whatever emoluments may belong to it

b :a position of responsibility or some degree of executive authority

2 :a prescribed form or service of worship; specifically, capitalized :divine office

3 :a religious or social ceremonial observance :rite

4 a :something that one ought to do or must do :an assigned or assumed duty, task, or role

b :the proper or customary action of something :function

c :something done for another :service

5 :a place where a particular kind of business is transacted or a service is supplied: such as

a :a place in which the functions of a public officer are performed

b :the directing headquarters of an enterprise or organization

c :the place in which a professional person conducts business

6 offices plural, chiefly British :the apartments, attached buildings, or outhouses in which the activities attached to the service of a house are carried on

7 a :a major administrative unit in some governments

British Foreign Office

b :a subdivision of some government departments

Patent Office

See office defined for English-language learners

See office defined for kids

Examples of office in a Sentence

She works at our Chicago office.
Are you going to the office today?
The supervisor held an informal meeting in his office.
Her office is on the top floor near the elevator.
He misbehaved in class and was sent to the principal's office.
We use the extra bedroom in our house as an office.
We stopped by the lawyer's office to pick up some documents.
He has been in office for a decade.
He was voted out of office.
He won the election and will take office at the beginning of the year.

Recent Examples of office from the Web

A Gurnee man attempting to avoid a speeding ticket in an unincorporated area near Libertyville injured the officer who was pursuing him, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s office.

— rick kambic, chicagotribune.com, "Cops: Deputy hurt trying to stop motorcyclist who was clocked at 121 mph," 30 Aug. 2017
Last week: Black leaders urge Matt Bevin to remove Jefferson Davis statue from Kentucky Capitol Several calls and emails seeking comment from the governor's office Wednesday morning were not returned.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Black leaders slam Gov. Bevin for inconsistency on Jefferson Davis statue," 30 Aug. 2017
Scripps, which operates five hospitals and a slew of outpatient offices across San Diego County, is exiting the hospice business for financial reasons.

— paul sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scripps to shutter its hospice service," 30 Aug. 2017
Congress considered closing the patent office in the late 1800s because everything that was going to be invented had already been invented.

— miamiherald, "The future’s not ours to see, but this is how CEOs prepare for it," 30 Aug. 2017
They will be set up in the lobby of the management office building, located between American Eagle and Justice and behind Barnes & Noble.

— Naperville Sun, "How you can help Harvey victims," 30 Aug. 2017
Holding a truce flag, a group of protestors approached the house, asked General Neville to step outside, renounce his office and hand over his accounting.

— carrie hagen, Smithsonian, "The First Presidential Pardon Pitted Alexander Hamilton Against George Washington," 29 Aug. 2017
Also, being aware of these important, yet simple, facts about yourself, helps raise the level of information that can be discussed at an office visit, which can lead to further questions.

— cincinnati enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "5 Health Vitals Everyone Should Know," 28 Aug. 2017
The law firm, Taylor Martino, P.C., will lease back the upstairs portion of the Class A office building.

— kathy jumper, AL.com, "Downtown Mobile on fire with activity," 27 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'office.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of office

Middle English, "position of authority, duties of a position, proper function, ecclesiastical service, space used for business or domestic functions," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin officium "beneficial act in fulfillment of an obligation, duty, functions in a position, post" (Late Latin, "ecclesiastical service"), contraction of opificium (attested in sense "constructive work"), from opi- (base of opis, *ops "power, ability" and oper-, opus "work, effort") + facere "to make, do, bring about" + -ium, deverbal suffix of function or state — more at opus, ¹do

Note: Though officium is formally a contraction of opificium, their senses diverge, the latter noun maintaining a transparent relation to the agent noun opifex "craftsman, artificer."

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

office Synonyms

Synonyms

agency, arm, branch, bureau, department, desk, division, service

Related Words

subdepartment, subdivision

Near Antonyms

grace, postponement, stay; discharge, ease, exemption, release, relief, waiver; loophole; alternative, choice, option, pick, preference, selection

Synonym Discussion of office

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

OFFICE Defined for English Language Learners

office

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noun

Definition of office for English Language Learners

: a building or room in which people work at desks doing business or professional activities
: a room with a desk where a particular person works
: a building or room where a doctor, lawyer, etc., works and meets with patients or clients