prefecture

noun

pre·​fec·​ture ˈprē-ˌfek-chər 

1

: the office or term of office of a prefect

2

: the official residence of a prefect

3

: the district governed by a prefect

prefectural

ˈprē-ˌfek-chə-rəl 

pri-ˈfek-

adjective

Examples of prefecture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

First-hand accounts are rare One of the last eyewitnesses able and willing to speak about Unit 731 is 95 year-old Hideo Shimizu, who lives in central Japan's Nagano prefecture. —Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025

Rescue teams continue to search for missing individuals after Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency advised tens of thousands of people in six prefectures to evacuate to safer areas. —Trisha Mukherjee, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2025

Some 1,300 homes were still without electricity on Friday morning after infrastructure was extensively damaged, the Aude prefecture said. —Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2025

The Miyagi prefecture town of Kesennuma is one of Japan’s biggest fishing ports, making its seafood market a must-visit. —Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prefecture

• prefecture apostolic

Rhymes for prefecture

• conjecture
• architecture
• lecture

Kids Definition

prefecture

noun

pre·​fec·​ture ˈprē-ˌfek-chər 

1

: the office or term of office of a prefect

2

: the district governed by a prefect

prefectural

prē-ˈfek-chə-rəl 

adjective