province
noun
prov·ince
ˈprä-vən(t)s 
1
a
: 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
2
a
: a division of a country forming the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan
b
: a territorial unit of a religious order
3
a
: a biogeographic division of less rank than a region
b
: an area that exhibits essential continuity of geologic history
also
: one characterized by particular structural or petrological features
4
a
: proper or appropriate function or scope : sphere
that question is outside my province
b
: a department of knowledge or activity
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
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
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
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
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
Valverde played for them from 1990-1996 but was born in the western province of Extremadura.
—Tomás Hill López-Menchero, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
First time candidate Jessica Fancy-Landry is running as a Liberal in a small district in the maritime province of Nova Scotia.
—Jackie Northam, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025
No other province even comes close to these demographics, making Quebec the de facto advocate for French speakers across Canada.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
However, as some Korean media outlets have pointed out, many of the scenes set on Jeju Island were actually filmed elsewhere in South Korea (for example, the canola field where Ae-sun and Gwan-sik share their first kiss is located in North Jeolla province).
—Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for province
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Tomás Hill López-Menchero, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
First time candidate Jessica Fancy-Landry is running as a Liberal in a small district in the maritime province of Nova Scotia.
—Jackie Northam, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025
No other province even comes close to these demographics, making Quebec the de facto advocate for French speakers across Canada.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
However, as some Korean media outlets have pointed out, many of the scenes set on Jeju Island were actually filmed elsewhere in South Korea (for example, the canola field where Ae-sun and Gwan-sik share their first kiss is located in North Jeolla province).
—Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for province
Cite this Entry
“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/province. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
province
noun
prov·ince
ˈpräv-ən(t)s
1
a
: a country or region brought under the control of the ancient Roman government
b
: a usually large division of a country having its own government
Canadian provinces
c
plural
: all of a country except the chief cities
2
: the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan
3
: proper or appropriate business or area of skill, knowledge, or interest
a legal question outside the physician's province
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