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 More tragically, a fire at a shoe factory in China’s Fujian province earlier this month killed at least 28 people. Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 24 July 2026 That led to most Canadian provinces banning the sale of American booze as of March 2025 (only Alberta and Saskatchewan have lifted their bans). Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 23 July 2026 Armed conflict has plagued the epicenter of the outbreak, Ituri province, for more than 30 years, and more than 900,000 people there live in displacement camps. Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 23 July 2026 Mehmet Fatih Cicekli, the governor of Ardahan province in eastern Turkey, was removed from his post on July 17 by a presidential decree signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Suzan Fraser, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for province
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
Noun
  • This area is designated a blue zone because of its high percentage of residents aged 90 and older, a statistic that has remained consistent over the past 150 years.
    Refractor, Refractor, 27 July 2026
  • Firefighters in France and Spain are battling to control wildfires which have raged for days in the areas near the major cities of Bordeaux and Madrid.
    Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
Noun
  • City documents say the department is assessing tripled fees for both structural and grading work done without authorization.
    Zuri Primos July 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
  • Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn will move to propose measures related to waiving Boston Police Department residency requirements and allowing retired officers to take shifts as the department faces ongoing staffing challenges.
    Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 27 July 2026
Noun
  • Ackman has become more ideological, expanding his crusades into cultural and academic realms.
    Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026
  • Though the song is heavily acoustic, its distorted guitar solos hail squarely from the realm of harder rock, and the artificial choirs that seep in toward the end seem to call out to the symphonic citadels of the Norwegian black metallers.
    Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
Noun
  • Frake-Waterfield created the TCU (ha ha) as a horror film franchise that turns public-domain children’s stories into slasher films.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 July 2026
  • If millions more digital products are created because the cost of building approaches zero, then even a small percentage progressing to real-world use translates into a meaningful increase in demand for domains.
    Michael Riedl, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • Magnesium, on the other hand, shows much more potential, with the same quantity of water containing 2,980 kg (6,570 lb) of the element, roughly the weight of a 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty Cargo Truck … so, a lot.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026
  • There’s the Targaryen element, but there’s the Hightower in him as well.
    Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Noun
  • Saudi Arabia's civil defense said alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in both cities, but the kingdom didn't comment further.
    ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday, threatening to cut off the kingdom’s oil exports through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
    Chloe Taylor,Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 24 July 2026
Noun
  • Selling the fields wouldn’t change much of the site’s day-to-day operations, Napper said.
    Sofi Zeman July 24, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • Charlotte deploys about 10 dedicated litter crews in the field each day.
    Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026
Noun
  • Otto Lopez and Heriberto Hernandez singled off Lambert in the frame, and the right-hander issued a two-out walk to Liam Hicks that loaded the bases.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
  • Despite drawing eight walks Tuesday, the Braves could only scratch across three runs and mustered only four hits in an 8-3 loss to the Padres at Truist Park.
    Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 22 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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