region

noun re·gion \ ˈrē-jən \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of region

1 : an administrative area, division, or district; especially : the basic administrative unit for local government in Scotland

2 a : an indefinite area of the world or universe

b : a broad geographic area distinguished by similar features

c (1) : a major world area that supports a characteristic fauna

(2) : an area characterized by the prevalence of one or more vegetational climax types

3 a : any of the major subdivisions into which the body or one of its parts is divisible

b : an indefinite area surrounding a specified body part

a pain in the region of the heart

4 : a sphere of activity or interest : field

5 : any of the zones into which the atmosphere is divided according to height or the sea according to depth

6 : an open connected set together with none, some, or all of the points on its boundary

a simple closed curve divides a plane into two regions

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Examples of region in a Sentence

The bird returns to this region every year.
He's the company sales manager for the entire Southwest region.
She has a pain in the lower back region.
attempts to go outside of London and stimulate cultural life in the regions

Recent Examples of region from the Web

Not only is the ethylene produced there much cheaper than naphtha abroad, but making more sophisticated chemicals and plastics in this region also saves on transport costs since much of American manufacturing is close by.

— The Economist, "America’s chemicals industry is booming. But politics may get in its way," 14 Apr. 2018
There is a Slight to Enhanced Risk of severe weather over the region Saturday.

— carlie kollath wells, NOLA.com, "French Quarter Fest weather: Sunny Thursday but storms on the way," 12 Apr. 2018
The region also got new arrivals in recent decades.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "Carolina birders took notes for 150 years. Many of the species they saw are gone. | Charlotte Observer," 12 Apr. 2018
Such behaviors produce spikes in the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in brain regions that are associated with motivation.

— robert f. service, Science | AAAS, "Chemists seek antiaddiction drugs to save hijacked brains," 12 Apr. 2018
Specifically, a township in the Coachella Valley, which has been the region's name since long before Goldenvoice started a music festival in Indio.

— randall roberts, latimes.com, "Behind its laid-back image, Coachella aggressively protects its trademark," 12 Apr. 2018
Texas and more specifically Houston have become among the Republican Party’s most important fundraising hubs outside of the Washington, D.C., region and New York City.

— jeremy wallace, San Antonio Express-News, "Trump returning to Texas," 12 Apr. 2018
Further complicating matters for the White House, China carefully crafted its tariffs to inflict maximum pain on pro-Trump regions and industries within the United States.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Looks Into Rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership," 12 Apr. 2018
Caltrans The cold system will linger in Northern California on Thursday, keeping the Sacramento area’s high temperature in the lower 60s, before the region heats up to the low 70s on Friday and upper 70s Saturday.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "Weak storm barely dampens Sacramento but brings snow to Sierra | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of region

Middle English regioun, from Anglo-French regiun, from Latin region-, regio line, direction, area, from regere to direct

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

region Synonyms

Synonyms

area, demesne, field, zone;

Related Words

corner, section;

locale, locality, location, locus, place, point, position, site, space, spot;

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

REGION Defined for English Language Learners

region

noun

Definition of region for English Language Learners

: a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way
: a place on your body : an area that is near a specified part of your body
the regions : the parts of a country that are not close to the capital city