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 The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), which recorded multiple aftershocks close to the epicenter in the hours after the initial earthquake, canceled a tsunami alert for the Leyte, Biliran and Cebu provinces early Wednesday local time. Brandon Miller, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025 The reserve is in Hubei province in central China. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025 Three years later, construction began on the nearly CAD$400 million Videotron Centre, with costs split between the city and province. Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 Against the backdrop of the golden sand dunes in Ninh Thuan province, family strife boils over when a son’s dream to dance to the beat of his own heart pits him against his father’s wishes. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for province
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Amid a complex international scenario, White Milano organizers continue to look beyond the realm of the traditional trade show paradigm, strengthening its partnership with Middle East buyers and brands.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
  • This month invites you into the realms of emotional mastery and deep inner work.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • In all of these places, the broad availability of talent—whether as founders, knowledge workers, or highly skilled blue-collar workers—is viewed as one core element of the corporate ecosystem’s success.
    Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
  • So there is this element of the star's narrative, the actor's narrative in the character.
    H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The festival is part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda, which aims to diversify the Saudi economy and bolster Riyadh’s status as a cultural destination.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The lawsuit accuses the kingdom of potential involvement in the 2001 terror attacks.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In the third quarter, FIU center Julius Pierce limped off the field with a leg injury.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Guerrero, in the first inning, connected for a towering fly ball to left field.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, no game day is complete without a stop at Gallettes, which is a mere five-minute walk from the football stadium where the Crimson Tide play.
    Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The battery lasts almost two full days, even with a bunch of notifications coming in and a couple of outdoor walks tracked.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on province

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