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province

noun
prov·​ince | \ ˈprä-vÉ™n(t)s How to pronounce province (audio) \

Definition of province

1a : a country or region brought under the control of the ancient Roman government
b : an administrative district or division of a country
c provinces plural : all of a country except the metropolises
2a : a division of a country forming the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan
b : a territorial unit of a religious order
3a : a biogeographic division of less rank than a region
b : an area that exhibits essential continuity of geological history also : one characterized by particular structural or petrological features
4a : proper or appropriate function or scope : sphere that question is outside my province
b : a department of knowledge or activity
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about province

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Choose the Right Synonym for province

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 province in a Sentence

They left the city for life in the provinces. a legal question outside the doctor's province

Recent Examples on the Web

 The first cess in British India was an education cess on land revenue levied by James Thomason, the lieutenant-governor of the north-western provinces, now part of Uttar Pradesh. — Shoaib Daniyal, Quartz India, "Various cesses levied by the Modi government are squeezing Indian state budgets," 23 Aug. 2019 As of June, Shuidichou has covered more than 30,000 villages and towns in 30 provinces, the company said. — Echo Huang, Quartz, "Here are your four apps to understand China’s grassroots consumers," 21 Aug. 2019 The two provinces, which used to be Dutch colonies, became part of Indonesia in 1969 after a highly contested referendum in which just over 1,000 Melanesian locals were handpicked to vote. — Jessie Yeung And Masrur Jamaluddin, CNN, "Protesters set fire to a parliament building in West Papua as demonstrations spread," 19 Aug. 2019 According to a press release, Dykes found that the the western half of the river which flows through wilder, less populated provinces, was very clean. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Welsh Man Is First to Walk the Length of the Yangtze River," 13 Aug. 2019 The airport also allows Chinese traders and business travelers from China’s southern region, including Fujian province, to more conveniently go to Africa. — Youyou Zhou, Quartz Africa, "Beijing is not the most popular Chinese city for passengers flying to or from Africa," 2 Aug. 2019 As one of only four producers in Canada to have supply agreements with all 10 Canadian provinces, OrganiGram is well-positioned for further growth in Canada and elsewhere. — Anne Sraders, Fortune, "Buy, Sell or Hold? Here’s What Analysts Say About the Top 8 Pot Stocks You Can Buy," 29 July 2019 This town in mountainous Chiang Rai province near the border with Myanmar is now firmly on the tourist map, with curious travelers from all over the world flocking to see where the story of the Wild Boars unfolded. — Washington Post, "Thailand’s Wild Boars mark year since going missing in cave," 23 June 2019 The Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua have for decades been wracked by a long-simmering and occasionally violent separatist movement, with flare-ups common. — Jessie Yeung And Masrur Jamaluddin, CNN, "Protesters set fire to a parliament building in West Papua as demonstrations spread," 19 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'province.' 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 province

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for province

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin provincia

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More Definitions for province

province

noun
How to pronounce province (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of province

: any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into
: a subject or area of interest that a person knows about or is involved in
: the parts of a country that are away from large cities

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

province

noun
prov·​ince | \ ˈprä-vÉ™ns How to pronounce province (audio) \

Kids Definition of province

1 : a part of a country having a government of its own (as one of the divisions of Canada)
2 provinces plural : the part or parts of a country far from the capital or chief city
3 : an area of activity or authority the province of science

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