region

noun

re·​gion ˈrē-jən 

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

Synonyms of region

• area
• zone

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 on the Web

Please contemplate the heft of these two regions. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026

This, the Rio Tinto region, is an area set around the Guadalquivir (River Baetis in antiquity), rich in mineral ores even today. —Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026

The Sacramento Bee compiled the numbers of homicide deaths in the four-county Sacramento region for the 2025 calendar year using the number of cases handled in each jurisdiction as part of the newspaper’s annual count. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026

The prefrontal cortex is a core region for emotional and cognitive processing and regulation; its dysfunction is thought to be a key aspect of what causes depression. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Phrases Containing region

• critical region
• D region
• E region
• F region
• (somewhere) in the region of

Rhymes for region

• legion
• collegian
• harijan
• norwegian
• subregion

Kids Definition

region

noun

re·​gion ˈrē-jən 

1

: an area, division, or district of administration

2

a

: a part, portion, or area having no fixed boundaries

darker regions of the night sky

b

: a broad geographic area

never visited the southwestern region of the U.S.

3

: an indefinite area surrounding a specified body part

a pain in the region of the heart

4

: a set of points any two of which can be connected by a line lying wholly within the set together with none, some, or all of the points on its boundary

a rectangular region

Medical Definition

region

noun

re·​gion ˈrē-jən 

1

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

the nine regions of the abdomen

2

: an indefinite area surrounding a specified body part

a pain in the region of the heart