Synonym Chooser

How is the word office distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of office are duty, function, and province. While all these words mean "the acts or operations expected of a person or thing," 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

In what contexts can duty take the place of office?

While the synonyms duty and office are close in meaning, 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 it sensible to use function instead of office?

While in some cases nearly identical to office, 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 could province be used to replace office?

The meanings of province and office largely overlap; however, 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

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 office Products at the showroom of the Nvidia Corp. offices in Taipei, Taiwan, June 2, 2023. Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2025 Democratic senators also staged a protest on the Senate floor on Wednesday, February 5, into Thursday against Russell T. Vought, Trump's nominee to lead the White House budget office. Ewan Palmer, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025 The White House pandemic-response office was set up to play air-traffic control for the CDC, the NIH, and other agencies that have a role amid any outbreak. Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025 There were also dozens of people lined up outside the medical examiner's office. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for office 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for office
Noun
  • Cases have been reported in counties throughout Florida, according to data from the state's health department, with the largest tallies around Miami and Tampa. Similar to other states, most cases reported in Florida have been in children under 5 years old.
    Alexander Tin, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Two agencies within the health department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration, removed webpages under that guidance.
    Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • During their press duties in the days before the Super Bowl, players from both teams were asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s attendance at the game.
    Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Election administrators can do their duty while independently maintaining their political preferences.
    Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • But Republicans have criticized the agency as being unaccountable and exceeding its legal authority.
    Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Jeep reportedly eschewed major creative agencies, with the folks behind its parent company Stellantis producing the spot all on their own.
    Rob LeDonne, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • There's also bipartisan pressure to enforce nonprofit hospitals' responsibility to provide charity care in exchange for their no-tax status, and to more closely examine a drug-purchasing program that many such facilities can take advantage of to get steep discounts on pharmaceuticals.
    Maya Goldman, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Ultimately, creating balance across the festival and making space for different perspectives is the responsibility of the Berlinale rather than individual films or filmmakers.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Image Mark Landler is the London bureau chief of The Times, covering the United Kingdom, as well as American foreign policy in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
    Mark Landler, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
  • In 1867, the House voted to completely eliminate the new department, but the Senate settled on a compromise measure that demoted the agency from a cabinet department to a sub-cabinet bureau in the Department of the Interior.
    Richard Stengel, TIME, 15 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • While changes to the administration of loans may occur, the underlying obligations are expected to persist.
    Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Grande added that labels know how a young star’s life will change and have the obligation to protect them.
    Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Our team has a desk at the office devoted to sweets, and the chocolate bowl is always overflowing.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 Feb. 2025
  • From putting together shelving and a desk to adding finishing design touches including a vase of flowers, Herbert’s room goes from a storage space to a fully-functioning home office in the span of the minute-long video.
    Arabella Hau, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Citing the Kremlin, Popov relished how reports of the conversation between the leaders about the need for the war in Ukraine started by Putin to stop did not include what role Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would play.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
  • As the food scraps decay, the remaining nutrients seep into the soil to improve plant growth and reduce the need for fertilizers or pesticides.
    Lisa Boyd, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near office

Cite this Entry

“Office.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/office. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on office

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