province

noun

ˈprä-vən(t)s How to pronounce province (audio)
Definition of provincenext
as in area
a region of activity, knowledge, or influence a legal question outside the doctor's province

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 Morales is hiding out in Chapare, a rural province in central Bolivia. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Feb. 2025 Hundreds of Black players played for teams across Eastern Canada in provinces such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island decades before the NHL began play in 1917. —Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025 Tourists at the Chengdu Snow Village project in the Sichuan province began reporting the snow was fake despite the organization's promoting it as real, according to Chengdu’s culture and tourism bureau. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025 The rapid advance into the city comes less than three weeks after the rebels claimed the takeover of Goma, the largest city and capital of the neighboring North Kivu province on January 27. —Nimi Princewill, CNN, 15 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for province
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
  1. area
  2. department
  3. realm
  4. domain
  5. element
  6. kingdom
  7. field
  8. walk
Noun
  • Eight people were injured when a driver crashed into a CarMax dealership in the Los Angeles area.
    — Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Identify scenarios where human oversight is essential and prevent inappropriate AI autonomy over sensitive business areas.
    — Brent Dykes, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of area
Noun
  • The suspect’s name hasn’t been released, but Jennings said the department would be sharing the individual’s name.
    — Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2025
  • People can also get hantavirus from a mouse bite, but this is rare, the New Mexico health department said.
    — Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of department
Noun
  • This takes us into the AI ethics realm, too, and the legal side of AI as well.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Despite the strict guidelines that steer her work into the realm of propaganda, her work is something beyond commercial art.
    — Lauren LeBlanc, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of realm
Noun
  • The Legislature doesn’t have control over property taxes, which are the domain of local governments.
    — Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025
  • China views most of the South China Sea as its own domain.
    — Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of domain
Noun
  • The show has contained stories – one crime plays out over two episodes –and there are lighthearted elements and something comforting about the cluttered antiquarian bookshop, situated in a picture-perfect historic London lane.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Nonetheless, in Lund’s keenly discerning view, the game—its swings and misses, hits and runs, acrobatic catches and awkward miscues—is inseparable from the human element that goes into each of these crucial yet infinitesimal incidents.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of element
Noun
  • Even in an era of kingdoms and duchies, nobody could afford a Bugatti Royale.
    — Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The new brand campaign arrives three months after the tour hosted its finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time in December after the WTA signed a sponsorship pact with the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF, last May.
    — Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of kingdom
Noun
  • Herro started slow, finding himself with just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field midway through the second quarter.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Her field of expertise is the application of a gender perspective to the arts.
    — The Glamour editors, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of field
Noun
  • According to the actor, Augustus has helped out by cleaning out stalls and taking horses for walks.
    — Katie Mannion, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Departing from Åndalsnes station—just a short walk from the cruise terminal—the train travels through steep mountains, past cascading waterfalls, and alongside the emerald-green Rauma River.
    — David Nikel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Definition of walk

Browse Nearby Words

province
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on province

Nglish: Translation of province for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about province

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All