precinct

[ pree-singkt ]

/ ˈpri sɪŋkt /

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See synonyms for precinct on Thesaurus.com

noun

a district, as of a city, marked out for governmental or administrative purposes, or for police protection.

Also called precinct house . the police station in such a district.

Also called election district. one of a fixed number of districts, each containing one polling place, into which a city, town, etc., is divided for voting purposes.

a space or place of definite or understood limits.

Often precincts. an enclosing boundary or limit.

precincts, the parts or regions immediately surrounding a place; environs: the precincts of a town.

Chiefly British. the ground immediately surrounding a church, temple, or the like.

a walled or otherwise bounded or limited space within which a building or place is situated.

OTHER WORDS FOR precinct

1 ward.

4 territory.

8 compound.

See synonyms for precinct on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of precinct

1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin praecinctum, noun use of neuter of Latin praecinctus, past participle of praecingere to gird about, surround, equivalent to prae-pre- + cing- (stem of cingere to surround; cf. cinch¹) + -tus past participle suffix

Words nearby precinct

precession of the equinoxes, pre-Christian, pre-Christmas, précieuse, précieux, precinct, precincts, preciosity, precious, precious coral, precious few

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use precinct in a sentence

There are decisions that need to be made if we want to move away from the traditional neighborhood precinct model that we have now.
Politics Report: School of Faulconer|Scott Lewis|February 6, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Whether or not America believes in rising sea levels pivots based on a few precincts in Pittsburgh.
Rebranding America Is Very On-Brand|Philip Elliott|January 29, 2021|Time
Navalny’s suffering combined with his relentless exposure of corruption—something Putin’s own lieutenants have described as a pathology eating away at the nation—have won him admirers in the unlikeliest precincts of Russia’s vast demography.
Alexey Navalny Is Succeeding Where Putin's Other Opponents Have Failed. Why?|Michael Weiss|January 27, 2021|Time
Until August 2019, Sacramento had been categorizing certain complaints as mere “inquiries” to be resolved informally at the precinct or watch level.
Why Complaints Against the Sheriff’s Department Are Surging|Jesse Marx|December 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego

In interviews, current and former officers said overtime pay was a significant driver of their arrests, which are made by vice and by neighborhood precincts.
New York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings|by Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan|December 16, 2020|ProPublica
Buses filled with cops from the 84th Precinct, where Liu had worked.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In an effort to gain early attention, he focused his attention on the Iowa precinct caucuses, which had never mattered much.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bratton now announced that he was appointing Ramos an honorary chaplain at the 84th Precinct where he was assigned.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos|Michael Daly|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ballinger was at first speechless when asked about the 75 Precinct reception.
Protesters Demand Justice For Gurley As Gap Grows Between Cops and NYC|M.L. Nestel|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His most recent assignment was the 84th Precinct, at the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now to live in this sacred precinct, as every one in Radnor knows, gives an immediate claim to distinction.
Those Dale Girls|Frank Weston Carruth
But the oldest gods of all, says Pausanias repeatedly, were rude stones in the temple or the temple precinct.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1|Andrew Lang
The democratic party finds in him a stanch supporter of its principles and he is now serving as chairman of his precinct.
Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 2 (of 2)|William Denison Lyman
Soon the captain of the precinct arrived, called his man off, and ordered my driver released.
Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail|Ezra Meeker
The biographers as a rule have agreed that Lincoln received all of the votes cast in the New Salem precinct except three.
McClure's Magazine, January, 1896, Vol. VI. No. 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for precinct

precinct

/ (ˈpriːsɪŋkt) /

noun

an enclosed area or building marked by a fixed boundary such as a wall
such a boundary

an area in a town, often closed to traffic, that is designed or reserved for a particular purposea shopping precinct; pedestrian precinct

a district of a city for administrative or police purposes
the police responsible for such a district

US a polling or electoral district

Word Origin for precinct

C15: from Medieval Latin praecinctum (something) surrounded, from Latin praecingere to gird around, from prae before, around + cingere to gird

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

precinct

OTHER WORDS FOR precinct

Origin of precinct

Words nearby precinct

Words related to precinct

How to use precinct in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for precinct

Word Origin for precinct