province

American  

[prov-ins] / ˈprɒv ɪns /

noun

1. an administrative division or unit of a country.

2. the provinces,

   1. the parts of a country outside of the capital or the largest cities.

   2. (in England) all parts of the country outside of London.

3. a country, territory, district, or region.

4. Geography. physiographic province.

5. a department or branch of learning or activity.

   the province of mathematics.

   Synonyms:

   area

6. sphere or field of activity or authority, as of a person; office, function, or business.

   Such decisions do not lie within his province.

7. a major subdivision of British India.

8. an ecclesiastical territorial division, as that within which an archbishop or a metropolitan exercises jurisdiction.

9. History/Historical.

   1. any of the North American colonies now forming major administrative divisions of Canada.

   2. any of certain colonies of Great Britain which are now part of the U.S.

10. Roman History. a country or territory outside of Italy, brought under the ancient Roman dominion and administered by a governor sent from Rome.

11. Mining. an individual mineral-producing area.

---

province British  

/ ˈprɒvɪns /

noun

1. a territory governed as a unit of a country or empire

2. a district, territory, or region

3. (plural) those parts of a country lying outside the capital and other large cities and regarded as outside the mainstream of sophisticated culture

4. ecology a subdivision of a region, characterized by a particular fauna and flora

5. an area or branch of learning, activity, etc

6. the field or extent of a person's activities or office

7. RC Church Church of England an ecclesiastical territory, usually consisting of several dioceses, and having an archbishop or metropolitan at its head

8. a major administrative and territorial subdivision of a religious order

9. history a region of the Roman Empire outside Italy ruled by a governor from Rome

---

Other Word Forms

• subprovince noun

Etymology

Origin of province

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prōvincia “province, official charge”

Example Sentences

Local authorities in Wuhan, Hubei province, began receiving calls "one after another" on Tuesday night about "multiple Apollo Go cars stopped in the middle of the road, unable to move", police said in a statement.

From Barron's

Rwanda, which possesses one of the most effective militaries in Africa, stopped the militants’ advance and stabilized the province.

From The Wall Street Journal

And lawmakers also passed a non-binding vote in the province's legislature calling on the CEO to resign.

From BBC

They are the exclusive province of the federal government.

From Barron's

Rules for university admissions can vary by province; in one model used in Shanghai, a student can apply for up to 96 majors.

From BBC

Related Words

• colony
• county
• department
• district
• part
• region
• territory
• zone