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office

noun
of·​fice | \ ˈä-fÉ™s How to pronounce office (audio) , ˈȯ-\

Definition of office

1a : a special duty, charge, or position conferred by an exercise of governmental authority and for a public purpose : a position of authority to exercise a public function and to receive whatever emoluments may belong to it
b : a position of responsibility or some degree of executive authority
2 : a prescribed form or service of worship specifically, capitalized : divine office
3 : a religious or social ceremonial observance : rite
4a : something that one ought to do or must do : an assigned or assumed duty, task, or role
b : the proper or customary action of something : function
c : something done for another : service
5 : a place where a particular kind of business is transacted or a service is supplied: such as
a : a place in which the functions of a public officer are performed
b : the directing headquarters of an enterprise or organization
c : the place in which a professional person conducts business
6 offices plural, chiefly British : the apartments, attached buildings, or outhouses in which the activities attached to the service of a house are carried on
7a : a major administrative unit in some governments British Foreign Office
b : a subdivision of some government departments Patent Office
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about office

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Choose the Right Synonym for office

function, office, duty, province mean the acts or operations expected of a person or thing. 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 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 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 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

Examples of office in a Sentence

She works at our Chicago office. Are you going to the office today? The supervisor held an informal meeting in his office. Her office is on the top floor near the elevator. He misbehaved in class and was sent to the principal's office. We use the extra bedroom in our house as an office. We stopped by the lawyer's office to pick up some documents. He has been in office for a decade. He was voted out of office. He won the election and will take office at the beginning of the year.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Candidates for office on the island campaigned in Hartford. — Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, "New film revisits man behind infamous Wells Fargo robbery in West Hartford in 1983 by Puerto Rican nationalists," 24 Aug. 2019 And his anti-Muslim rhetoric helped inspire a record number of Muslim Americans to run for office. — John Blake, CNN, "Trump is doing what Obama couldn't," 23 Aug. 2019 The plaintiff, Bassem Banafa, worked as a forensic accountant for the office, and was considered an expert at detecting and documenting financial crimes. — Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, "Contra Costa settles religious discrimination suit against DA office," 23 Aug. 2019 Granados said of his plans for office if he is elected. — Jeff Forward, Houston Chronicle, "Granados seeks Woodlands board seat after 2018 controversy," 23 Aug. 2019 With Battle's veto standing, the salary for the mayor's office remains unchanged. — Paul Gattis | [email protected], al, "Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle’s veto over salary increase stands," 23 Aug. 2019 Board candidates filed petitions to run for offices earlier this month and school leaders had until Aug. 23 to decide whether to put levy requests before voters Nov. 5. — Christopher Magan, Twin Cities, "East metro voters will decide school tax requests, board races," 23 Aug. 2019 One of his first moves in office was to transfer responsibilities for demarcating indigenous lands from the Brazilian Ministry of Justice to the decidedly pro-development Ministry of Agriculture. — Catesby Holmes, The Conversation, "The Amazon is burning: 4 essential reads on Brazil’s vanishing rainforest," 23 Aug. 2019 Inslee has been Washington's governor since 2013, and is currently the only Democrat running for that office. — Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, "Jay Inslee begins campaign for 3rd term as governor after dropping out of presidential race," 22 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'office.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of office

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for office

Middle English, "position of authority, duties of a position, proper function, ecclesiastical service, space used for business or domestic functions," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin officium "beneficial act in fulfillment of an obligation, duty, functions in a position, post" (Late Latin, "ecclesiastical service"), contraction of opificium (attested in sense "constructive work"), from opi- (base of opis, *ops "power, ability" and oper-, opus "work, effort") + facere "to make, do, bring about" + -ium, deverbal suffix of function or state — more at opus, do entry 1

Note: Though officium is formally a contraction of opificium, their senses diverge, the latter noun maintaining a transparent relation to the agent noun opifex "craftsman, artificer."

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More Definitions for office

office

noun
How to pronounce office (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of office

: a building or room in which people work at desks doing business or professional activities
: a room with a desk where a particular person works
chiefly US : a building or room where a doctor, lawyer, etc., works and meets with patients or clients

See the full definition for office in the English Language Learners Dictionary

office

noun
of·​fice | \ ˈȯ-fÉ™s How to pronounce office (audio) \

Kids Definition of office

1 : a place where business is done or a service is supplied a doctor's office
2 : a special duty or position and especially one of authority in government My uncle wants to run for office.

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