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 Across China, tens of thousands of people tagged as troublemakers like the Yangs are trapped in a digital cage, barred from leaving their province and sometimes even their homes by the world’s largest digital surveillance apparatus. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025 The provincial assembly for the Gandaki province in Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city, was set on fire, as well as the Siraha District Court in southeast Nepal, and at least a dozen government buildings across the Rupandehi province and the Gautam Buddha International Airport in the area. Callum Sutherland, Time, 9 Sep. 2025 Just two days before filming began in the northwest regional province of Santiago Rodriguez, a powerful storm swept through the Dominican Republic, flooding the ground floor of the production office and bringing much of Santo Domingo to a halt. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025 Milei's La Libertad Avanza party won 34 percent of the vote in Argentina's biggest province, losing by a wide margin to the left-leaning Peronist opposition, which ended up with 47 percent, according to a count of most of the ballots on Sunday. Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for province
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
Noun
  • Those areas include voting, healthcare, and education literature.
    Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Drought continues to worsen in several parts of the country, meteorologists warned in early September as dry conditions are forecast for many areas later in the month, sparking additional fears about wildfires in the fire-prone West.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The sound department actually played the music that would overlay the scene as Dockery acted.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
  • This program comes at a critical time for the automotive industry, as employers increasingly need to develop worker skills and standardize AI usage across departments.
    Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The centuries-old religion blends both Protestant and Catholic beliefs and is often seen as one of the more inclusive denominations in the realm of Christianity.
    Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Roseman, whose first full-time NFL job was in the financial realm as counsel to the Eagles’ salary-cap staff, has compared Philadelphia’s tactics to financing a home when interest rates are low.
    Mike Sando, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In my fake Evite example, the branding looked perfect, but the sender's address didn't match Evite's official domain.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • This should include setting up monitoring processes similar to those used for brand name, trademark, patent or domain misuse, auditing the use of the company’s digital assets, and engaging with vendors that provide monitoring services.
    Chris Dimitriadis, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The high-energy track, which blends old school hip-hop vibes with rock elements, marks the first time a virtual group has ever produced a song and direct choreography for an audition survival series.
    Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Other defensive elements included an Italian AWACS surveillance aircraft, a NATO refueling tanker, and a German Patriot air defense system, the New York Times reported.
    George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But Danish colonial authority – now focused mainly on foreign, defense and economic policy – is facing an unprecedented challenge, and the Scandinavian kingdom is at pains to underline and maintain its military control.
    Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Thumbs-up, hearts, comments and views are the currency of his kingdom.
    Óscar Martínez & Carlos Martínez, The Dial, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Cortège Out on the cricket fields at The Los Angeles Equestrian Center, an experiential open-air event is bringing together dance, sound, light, puppetry, costume, myth, and robotic canines.
    David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The emotions of that victory two years ago were apparent at the time — Sirianni was bombastic exiting the field after the emotional win — but there is no concept of revenge this time.
    Zach Berman, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • On the control side, the company reports combining reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and linear-actuator torque control so K2 can switch gaits dynamically across complex terrains and sustain a natural, human-like walk.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The walk is presided over by its creator, a mysterious authoritarian figure known as the Major (Mark Hamill) who extolls the sadistic contest as a boon for the spirits of the impoverished American people.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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