province

noun

prov·​ince ˈprä-vən(t)s 

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 geologic 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

Synonyms

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

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

Ann Scott Tyson/The Christian Science Monitor Factory workers operate machinery for Sungrow Power, a large Chinese producer of photovoltaic inverters and other key solar, wind, and other green energy equipment, in Hefei, Anhui province, March 27, 2024. —Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024

Jaime Neto, secretary of state for Nampula province, also said that the passengers were fleeing cholera, according to the BBC. —Reuters, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin provincia

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

province

noun

prov·​ince ˈpräv-ən(t)s 

1

a

: a country or region brought under the control of the ancient Roman government

b

: a usually large division of a country having its own government

Canadian provinces

c

plural : all of a country except the chief cities

2

: the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan

3

: proper or appropriate business or area of skill, knowledge, or interest

a legal question outside the physician's province