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

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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 Recent weeks have witnessed a surge in cases, with two new health zones affected last week in North Kivu, where the fatality rate is much higher than in the rest of the affected provinces. — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 In the city of Larkana, in Sindh province, 494 children were diagnosed with HIV. — Betsy Joles, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026 The security officers at the towers, on the other hand, are almost all migrant workers from other provinces. — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 At the heart of the Shein model is a vast network of contract manufacturers based in the southern province of Guangdong, in particular Guangzhou’s Panyu and Haizhu Districts — home to one of the world’s most dynamic manufacturing hubs. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026 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
  • Shawn Ryan Tackling a distance like that will need considerably more solar area, but Ryan has ruled out the obvious fix of simply widening his current upright bike and plastering it with panels.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
  • By dawn, a margin of only a few hundred votes separated the two camps before the gap grew as more ballots were tallied in areas of the country where opposition was greater.
    — Kwiyeon Ha, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of area
Noun
  • Additionally, the department has been coordinating with the Nepali government to assist with the rescue effort.
    — Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The department did not immediately respond to The Bee’s request for comment.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of department
Noun
  • The film imagines a colorful, family-friendly realm concealed just under the surface of video games themselves, populated by a covert guild of guardians tasked with keeping each title operating and preserving every player’s journey.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
  • This year’s whirlwind press tours, however, have brought standout footwear looks both within and beyond her realm of quintessential stiletto pumps.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of realm
Noun
  • This option also grants a handful of extra features, such as custom branding, domains, and team analytics.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The 120 misconfigured files the researchers found contained 227 commands to install non-existent packages or view unclaimed domains.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of domain
Noun
  • Play was suspended on the outside courts, but the roofs could close on Armstrong and Ashe, protecting Bublik and Wolf, and Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone, from the elements.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Now, one element of great balance is there’s not a ton of headliners, stars.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of element
Noun
  • In the 2010s, the kingdom and some of the other Arab Gulf states turned to China for armed drones since the United States refused to sell them any at the time.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • In July this year, Jamaica’s government said two of its three citizens deported to the tiny kingdom have formally declined offers to be repatriated to the Caribbean nation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of kingdom
Noun
  • The utility company says more than 2,600 storm response workers are working to restore power, with another 800 field workers from outside Michigan on the way to assist.
    — Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Malkovich is considered by prognosticators to be firmly in the mix in what is a very competitive best actor category this awards season with Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Scott, Sebastian Stan and Javier Bardem among a deep field.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of field
Noun
  • While most of us are capable of lifting weights or heading outside for a brisk walk each day, not everyone is so fortunate, leading researchers to consider other ways to encourage muscles to produce plenty of hormones.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • That doesn’t mean missing a few walks will suddenly harm your health.
    — Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of walk

Browse Nearby Words

providing (for)
province
provinces
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on province

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about province

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