province

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noun prov·ince \ ˈprä-vən(t)s \

Definition of province

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 geological 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

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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 of province from the Web

Many have involved fighters of an al-Qaeda affiliate, who have typically been relocated to the northern province of Idlib, bordering Turkey.

— liz sly, Washington Post, "U.S.-led airstrikes block ISIS fighters escaping under a Hezbollah-negotiated deal," 30 Aug. 2017
In the Herat airstrike, at least 13 civilians, including women and children, were killed as Afghan security forces targeted the Taliban in western province, according to Gelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor.

— amir shah, The Seattle Times, "Taliban suicide bomber targets Kabul bank, kills 5 people," 29 Aug. 2017
China’s rust-belt provinces are a hotbed for shadow banking.

— luke kawa, Bloomberg.com, "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day," 29 Aug. 2017
Compared to cremation, alkaline hydrolysis is better for the environment, yet the process is currently only legal in the U.K. and in 14 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

— cheri lucas rowlands, Longreads, "What the Future of Death Looks Like," 16 Aug. 2017
In Canada, just two days after Trump announced his travel ban, a mass shooting occurred in the province where I was born, Quebec.

— lincoln anthony blades, Teen Vogue, "Muslims Deserve a President Who Defends Them When Attacked," 11 Aug. 2017
One way to achieve that would be to divide provinces into more efficient and representative units.

— The Economist, "Reconciliation is not impossible, but it will be a long, slow process," 22 July 2017
Rebels and al-Qaida often fight during lulls in the Russian and Syrian government air campaigns that have battered the province since 2013.

— philip issa, The Seattle Times, "Clashes erupt between rebels, al-Qaida in northwest Syria," 19 July 2017
Homemade bombs continue to be one of the Taliban’s main weapons, one that was on display again this week as Afghan forces tried to recapture the district of Nawa in the southern province of Helmand.

— mujib mashal and taimoor shah, New York Times, "Afghanistan More Deadly for Women and Children, U.N. Says," 17 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of province

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin provincia

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

province Synonyms

Synonyms

area, arena, bailiwick, barony, business, circle, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, firmament, front, game, kingdom, line, precinct, field, realm, specialty, sphere, terrain, walk

Related Words

frontier; study, subject; territory, turf; occupation, profession, pursuit, racket, vocation; ambit, amplitude, breadth, compass, confine, dimension (s), extent, ken, reach, scope, sweep, width; subfield, subspecialty

Synonym Discussion of 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.