province

noun

prov·ince | \ ˈprä-vən(t)s

Definition of province

1a : 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

2a : a division of a country forming the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan

b : a territorial unit of a religious order

3a : 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

4a : proper or appropriate function or scope : sphere that question is outside my province

b : a department of knowledge or activity

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about province

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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

There are more drone bases in Shaanxi province, covering a total of 100 villages. — The Economist, "The world's first commercial drone-delivery service takes flight," 9 June 2018 Despite being proscribed by the United Nations and the U.S. as a terrorist group, JeM recently built a sprawling new training complex in Pakistan’s southern Punjab province, according to reports in the Indian media. — Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, "Pakistan-Based Jihadists Kill 40, and Indians Demand a Response," 21 Feb. 2019 There are six major grape-growing regions in China, though only three are really primed for visitors: Shandong and Shaanxi provinces, and the autonomous Ningxia region. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why China Should Be Your Next Wine Destination," 11 Sep. 2018 Sayyad’s diagnosis prompted an emergency vaccination campaign in Dukki, the small coal-mining town in Pakistan’s western province of Baluchistan where the family lives. — Meher Ahmad, New York Times, "Pakistan Has Just One New Polio Case, but Isn’t Declaring Victory Yet," 20 May 2018 Repairing infrastructure across Anbar and Nineveh provinces, both majority Sunni areas, will cost tens of billions of dollars, local officials say. — Balint Szlanko And Muhanad Al-saleh, Fox News, "Iraq's Sunnis wary but hopeful about upcoming election," 11 May 2018 That day, an article at Maritime Bulletin identified the ship as the Nikifor Begichev, which had departed from Ust-Luga in Leningrad province on December 30, bound for China. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Bad Weather Ruined a Shipment of Russia’s Best Missiles Bound for China," 19 Feb. 2019 In January, the only maternity hospital in Maarrat al-Nu’man, a city in Idlib province, was destroyed in airstrikes that killed at least five people. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Turkey’s last-ditch effort to stop mass slaughter in Syria just failed," 7 Sep. 2018 A few years ago, that most heavily traveled branch of the Western Pacific was constituted as a prefecture (county) of a mainland Chinese province. — WSJ, "America Has Already Lost the Western Pacific," 8 Mar. 2019

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.