as in area
a region of activity, knowledge, or influence
the logistics of the relief effort is the director's fief
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fief
Image There are 49 state affiliates of Planned Parenthood, and each is its own fief, with separate management structures and budgets — and different local political climates.
—
Katie Benner, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
This Shangri-la hidden in the folds of the Himalayas was a pugilistic hodgepodge of Buddhist fiefs until unification as a nation in the 17th century.
—By Charlie Campbell/gelephu, Bhutan, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
Syria’s many minorities The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Dec. 2024
The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fief
Katie Benner, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
This Shangri-la hidden in the folds of the Himalayas was a pugilistic hodgepodge of Buddhist fiefs until unification as a nation in the 17th century.
—By Charlie Campbell/gelephu, Bhutan, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
Syria’s many minorities The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Dec. 2024
The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fief
Noun
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This area was mostly empty at the beginning, but the monstrous sounds of the race cars firing up their engines drew a lot of attention.—
Keenan Thompson,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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The chief sent multiple units to increase patrols in high-crime areas after three homicides that happened at the start of the weekend, police spokesperson Officer Bradley Perez said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Unlike traditional security systems that treat these domains separately, ARGUS merges them, giving it the ability to sense, analyze, and respond to breaches across networks and environments simultaneously.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
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The answer to this conundrum lies not in the markets, as conventional wisdom often argues, but in the domain of governance and public policy.—
Kingsley Moghalu,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Thus, the scheme of thoughtfully layered illumination, including the pair of Grand Central Terminal–worthy pendants in the kitchen (each weighing in the realm of 60 pounds), plaster sconces, custom lampshades, and Deschanel’s beloved Murano chandeliers.—
Catherine Hong,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
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The plot, about a former programmer battling an artificial intelligence run amuck in a computer-network realm, was borderline incomprehensible.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As tax dollars are reallocated from public school districts and families abandon those schools to learn at home or in private settings, the new department officials see little need for oversight.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
8 Oct. 2025
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The Williams Education Fund, which is the athletic department’s revenue generating arm, was named after Sean and Todd’s father, uncle and grandfather.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This matters not least because high levels of trust in leadership are rewarded with higher levels of discretionary effort and agility, key elements of success for any business.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
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The film weaves together comedic and dramatic elements while examining the tension between personal identity and familial expectations.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom — drawing in the ruthless kings of other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler — the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic, compelling and utterly magical new Norse Saga.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
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Much of the land that became Ghana had been part of the Ashanti kingdom, but calling the new state Ashanti might have implied that descendants of these people enjoyed a privileged place.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On their walk home, Pérez’s daughter leaned over her brother and chided him for speaking Spanish in public.—
Melissa Sanchez,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
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The Sheldon painting depicts a young Black man standing on a sidewalk dressed in a baseball cap, jeans and a loose, untucked, long-sleeve, button-down shirt, his arms outstretched, while white people in business attire walk past him in a blur.—
Todd Longwell,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Petrino has coached Western Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri State since he was fired by the Razorbacks for off-field reasons in the spring of 2012.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Oct. 2025
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The Browns might even have a plan to get Sanders on the field at some point this season.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fief. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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