office

Synonym Chooser

How is the word office distinct from other similar nouns?

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

In what contexts can duty take the place of office?

While the synonyms duty and office are close in meaning, 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 it sensible to use function instead of office?

While in some cases nearly identical to office, 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 could province be used to replace office?

The meanings of province and office largely overlap; however, 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

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 office The anxiety and fear that people bring to my office and to the delivery room about the many uncertainties associated with pregnancy and childbirth is palpable and legitimate. Tami S. Rowen, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025 Antonio Amorena, head travel designer and sales manager for the Milan office of luxury travel company Imago Artis Travel calls Brera his favorite neighborhood. Laura Itzkowitz, AFAR Media, 3 Oct. 2025 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said on Friday that King Charles III approved of the nomination. Elizabeth Pritchett , Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025 According to the sheriff’s office, two days prior to his body being found, the victim sent pictures to his family of a bear, which appeared to be a young male, in his campsite. Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for office
Recent Examples of Synonyms for office
Noun
  • Early on, his department sent drones skyward to see how the store was managing incoming vehicles.
    Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Humphrey credits both trends to a shift in department culture.
    Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • All active-duty personnel stay on the job, but nearly half of the Department of War's 741,477 civilian employees could face furloughs.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Arenas was on duty staffing an ambulance in the city that morning when reports came in of people trapped inside a building that was on fire.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Gaza is decimated In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says more than 66,000 people have been killed − about half of them women and children − and humanitarian agencies now warn of famine.
    Susan Page, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The Jays in recent years missed out on several big names in free agency — Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots toward crowds in some instances and denied responsibility for other casualties near aid hubs.
    Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Bigger responsibilities were on the horizon.
    Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Komarczyk is believed to be living in Venezuela, according to the bureau.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • However, the federal shutdown forced the bureau to furlough employees as well as pause data collection and dissemination.
    Rachel Barber, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The city’s obligations with the Civic had ended when its lease expired the month before.
    Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Dalio’s debt-cycle warning Dalio has spent decades studying how countries borrow, boom, and then buckle under the weight of their obligations.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • One student whose desk is near the wall, asked to be moved after hearing about Sanford's pickup truck crashing into the church itself.
    John Wisely, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • On a desk lay Michele’s Nellcôte bag, one of the designer’s most recent and successful designs.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In theory, Gyokeres is exactly what Arsenal need and a potential game-changer for their title ambitions.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • In an era when streaming subscribers pick their own viewing hours, every program is watched by individual consumers at different times of day, in different geographic regions and with different interests and needs.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Office.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/office. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on office

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