Definition of office
1a : 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 itb : a position of responsibility or some degree of executive authority
2 [Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin officium, from Latin] : a prescribed form or service of worship; specifically, capitalized : divine office
3 : a religious or social ceremonial observance : rite
4a : something that one ought to do or must do : an assigned or assumed duty, task, or roleb : the proper or customary action of something : functionc : something done for another : service
5 : a place where a particular kind of business is transacted or a service is supplied: such asa : a place in which the functions of a public officer are performedb : the directing headquarters of an enterprise or organizationc : 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
7a : a major administrative unit in some governments British Foreign Officeb : a subdivision of some government departments Patent Office
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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
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Located in the once-gritty meatpacking district on the Near West Side, the plant is now something of an anachronism amid the trendy restaurants, bars and office buildings that have sprung up in recent years.
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Trump’s promise to move the embassy, along with his other campaign pledges, are written down on a whiteboard in chief strategist Steve Bannon’s office.
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The White House’s legislative affairs office has suggested another route: Sending the Paris agreement to the Senate for ratification as a treaty.
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Last week, the Baltimore office had justified its decision to invite Dolezal, saying the festival seeks to expand understanding of people and thinking that may be different.
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The Philadelphia native was promoted to special agent in 2010 and was working in drug enforcement in the state police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Richmond field office.
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Eileen Jones, press secretary for Ivey, said the governor's office received 226 calls on Thursday asking Ivey to stay the execution.
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On May 8, Brazilian police raided its offices in São Paulo as part of an investigation into its business there.
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He was born in 1940 and raised in Warren, Ohio, a town with a beautiful post office, adorned with W.P.A. murals, that was built by the New Deal.
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.
Synonym Discussion of office
OFFICE Defined for English Language Learners
office
playDefinition of office for English Language Learners
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: a building or room in which people work at desks doing business or professional activities
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: a room with a desk where a particular person works
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: a building or room where a doctor, lawyer, etc., works and meets with patients or clients
OFFICE Defined for Kids
office
playDefinition of office for Students
1 : a place where business is done or a service is supplied a doctor's office
2 : a special duty or position and especially one of authority in government My uncle wants to run for office.
Law Dictionary
office
Legal Definition of office
1 : a special duty, charge, or position conferred by governmental authority and for a public purpose qualified to hold public office; broadly : a special duty or position of authority hold an office of trust
2 : a place where business or administration is conducted or services are performed
3 : a special administrative department or unit office of the district attorney
Learn More about office
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for office Spanish Central: Translation of office Nglish: Translation of office for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of office for Arabic speakers
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