Definition of provincenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word province distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of province are duty, function, and office. While all these words mean "the acts or operations expected of a person or thing," 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

Where would duty be a reasonable alternative to province?

The words duty and province are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

When is function a more appropriate choice than province?

The meanings of function and province largely overlap; however, 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

When can office be used instead of province?

The synonyms office and province are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of province Eby acknowledged health risks, but added that people in his province are used to waking up in the dark and taking their kids to school in the dark during the winter. Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 7 Mar. 2026 Several people were injured Friday when Afghan mortar shells landed in a village in Mohmand, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local official Mohammad Asif said. ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026 Another is the location of the school — next to a base of the Revolutionary Guard in Hormozgan province and close to a barracks for its naval brigade. Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026 Production took place in Nam Dinh province – regarded in Vietnam as the cradle of phở culture – as well as the historic streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for province
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
Noun
  • Not only are the beaches less crowded (but no less beautiful), the surrounding area is also strikingly green and mountainous—especially on the drive in from the airport.
    Annie Daly, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
  • The neighborhood/area The immediate neighborhood around the resort doesn’t offer much beyond lush greenery, but drive about 15 minutes west to find the famous Alona Beach, a particularly scenic strip of sand bookended by dramatic rock walls.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Noem made the statement during a four-hour hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where lawmakers sharply criticized the department’s aggressive immigration enforcement.
    Mathew Miranda Updated March 4, Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Those who received their letters late Wednesday or Thursday could not legally drive to the department office to change their license.
    David Williams, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Strictly within the realm of football, Kelce is one of the most recognizable athletes in the country’s most-popular sport after racking up 11 selections to the Pro Bowl and the eighth-most catches (1,080) in NFL history.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Open calls for actors Open auditions, known in the regional theater realm as Equity Principal Auditions, are a reality of being a professional theater.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Hey, that guy is well into the public domain.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Despite its dangerous reputation, accidents in the main La Grave ski domain are extremely rare.
    Sergei Poljak, Outside, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The proposal preserves elements of the past by focusing future development on specific portions of the lot along Melrose and limited areas in the production core, architecture firm Rios said.
    Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The sprawling nature of Maryland’s budget, which exceeds $65 billion, and its notorious high-profile cases of political corruption also add an element of vigilance and caution to the definition.
    Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Sirens sounded earlier Saturday in Bahrain as Iran targeted the island kingdom.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Last week, the kingdom was forced to halt operations at the Ras Tanura refinery, the country’s biggest, and is seeking to divert barrels to its Red Sea ports for export after the Hormuz closure.
    Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The Bruins shot a dominant 58% from the field, well outdoing the solid 43% for the Trojans.
    Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Inside a conference hall roughly the size of a football field sat hundreds of people—ambassadors, politicians, and scholars.
    Chang Che, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Acuña led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Nicaragua catcher Ronald Rivera.
    Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Hill struck out six and issued one walk for the Cougars (22-1).
    Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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