office

American  

[aw-fis, of-is] / ˈɔ fɪs, ˈɒf ɪs /

noun

• offices
  plural

1. a room, set of rooms, or building where the business of a commercial or industrial organization or of a professional person is conducted.

   the main office of an insurance company; a doctor's office.

2. a room assigned to a specific person or a group of persons in a commercial or industrial organization.

   Her office is next to mine.

3. a business or professional organization.

   He went to work in an architect's office.

4. the staff or designated part of a staff at a commercial or industrial organization.

   The whole office was at his wedding.

5. a position of duty, trust, or authority, especially in the government, a corporation, a society, or the like.

   She was elected twice to the office of president.

   Synonyms:

   situation, berth, station, post

6. employment or position as an official.

   to seek office.

7. the duty, function, or part of a particular person or agency.

   to act in the office of adviser.

   Synonyms:

   trust, charge, responsibility

8. (initial capital letter) an operating agency or division of certain departments of the U.S. Government.

   Office of Community Services.

9. (initial capital letter) a major administrative unit or department of the national government.

   the Foreign Office.

10. Slang. hint, signal, or warning; high sign.

11. Often offices. something, whether good or bad, done or said for or to another.

    He obtained a position through the offices of a friend.

12. Ecclesiastical.

    1. the prescribed order or form for a service of the church or for devotional use.

    2. the services so prescribed.

    3. Also called divine office. the prayers, readings from Scripture, and psalms that must be recited every day by all who are in major orders.

    4. a ceremony or rite, especially for the dead.

13. a service or task to be performed; assignment; chore.

    little domestic offices.

    Synonyms:

    duty, work

14. Chiefly British. offices,

    1. the parts of a house, as the kitchen, pantry, or laundry, devoted mainly to household work.

    2. the stables, barns, cowhouses, etc., of a farm.

15. Older Slang. privy.

---

office British  

/ ˈɒfɪs /

noun

1. 1. a room or set of rooms in which business, professional duties, clerical work, etc, are carried out

   2. ( as modifier )

      office furniture

      an office boy

2. (often plural) the building or buildings in which the work of an organization, such as a business or government department, is carried out

3. a commercial or professional business

   the architect's office approved the plans

4. the group of persons working in an office

   it was a happy office until she came

5. (capital when part of a name) (in Britain) a department of the national government

   the Home Office

6. (capital when part of a name)

   1. a governmental agency, esp of the Federal government

   2. a subdivision of such an agency or of a department

      Office of Science and Technology

7. 1. a position of trust, responsibility, or duty, esp in a government or organization

      the office of president

      to seek office

   2. ( in combination )

      an office-holder

8. duty or function

   the office of an administrator

9. (often plural) a minor task or service

   domestic offices

10. (often plural) an action performed for another, usually a beneficial action

    through his good offices

11. a place where tickets, information, etc, can be obtained

    a ticket office

12. Christianity

    1. (often plural) a ceremony or service, prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities, esp one for the dead

    2. the order or form of these

    3. RC Church the official daily service

    4. short for divine office

13. (plural) the parts of a house or estate where work is done, goods are stored, etc

14. euphemistic (usually plural) a lavatory (esp in the phrase usual offices )

15. (of a government) in power

16. (of a government) out of power

17. slang a hint or signal

---

office Idioms  

1. see box office; front office; land-office business; take office.

---

Usage

What is an office? An office is a room, rooms, or a building where business is conducted, as in I gave my sister a ride to the doctor’s office. An office is also a designated room where a person does their work, as in Dr. Brown’s office is the second one on the left down the hall. Office can more generally refer to an entire business or organization, as in I got a new job at an accountant’s office. Office can also refer to a business’s entire staff or a specific part of it, as in The birthday cake was shared with the entire office. Finally, office is also a position of authority or the duties of such a position, such as The office of the President of the United States. Example: The lawyer spent most of her time at her office in the law firm rather than actually going to court. 

Synonym Usage

See appointment.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outoffice
  noun
• suboffice
  noun
• officeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• offices
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of office

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin officium “service, duty, ceremony,” presumably contraction of opificium, from opi- (combining form akin to opus opus ) + -fic- (combining form of facere “to do, make”) + -ium -ium

---

Explanation

If you have an office job, it means that you go to work in an office, or a professional business place, every day. Your office is the place you work, meeting with colleagues, sitting at a desk, and wearing sneakers on Casual Friday. The President of the United States has an office too, but it's a different kind: his or her office is a position of power. All government officials can be described as holding or taking office, which is when they assume the control and responsibilities that come with their important jobs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

office offices

A spokesperson for Logan’s office said Friday that it was reviewing the Justice Department’s spreadsheet — in part to determine how many of the voters are actually in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

A managing director in Blue Owl’s Tokyo office defected to Benefit Street Partners, while a managing director in institutional funds went to Pimco and a principal in the private-wealth unit took a job at KKR.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

By the new election date, Mr. Abbas will be 91, serving the 22nd year of what was a four-year term in office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Paris police chief Patrice Faure banned demonstrations around the Elysee presidential palace, the prime minister's office, and the Champs-Elysees shopping avenue, among other key locations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

My voice echoes through the office and into the deserted shop behind it.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Authorities are investigating a series of letters containing suspicious substances sent to congressional and election offices in several states, US media reported.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

In other parts of the country, men are more likely than women to get the treatment at doctor’s offices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Federal authorities say they are investigating "potentially hazardous" letters containing "suspicious substances" that have been sent to congressional and state election offices around the US.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Smith Debnam, a law firm with offices in North and South Carolina, has an opinion on such a predicament.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

He marches me down the alley and then down the street, past the living and the dead, into a building that seems to be offices, though people are sleeping here as well.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• agency
• building
• bureau
• center
• department
• facility
• factory
• room
• shop
• store
• suite

---