precinct

American  

[pree-singkt] / ˈpri sɪŋkt /

noun

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

   Synonyms:

   ward

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

3. 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.

4. a space or place of definite or understood limits.

   Synonyms:

   territory

5. Often precincts. an enclosing boundary or limit.

6. precincts, the parts or regions immediately surrounding a place; environs.

   the precincts of a town.

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

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

   Synonyms:

   compound

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precinct British  

/ ˈpriːsɪŋkt /

noun

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

   2. such a boundary

2. an area in a town, often closed to traffic, that is designed or reserved for a particular purpose

   a shopping precinct

   pedestrian precinct

3. 1. a district of a city for administrative or police purposes

   2. the police responsible for such a district

4. a polling or electoral district

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Etymology

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. cinch ¹) + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

A precinct is an area of town marked off for official purposes, often to vote, or to organize the police force. When a cop hears of a crime that's happening in her precinct, she knows to hop in her car and head over there. The word precinct comes from the Latin precinctum meaning "enclosure, boundary line." A precinct is an area that has a clear boundary line around it, making it easier for the police to know where a crime is taking place, or where you should go to vote. The word precinct has also come to mean police headquarters in a particular district. If you're being held at the precinct, you're at the police station local to where you committed your crime.

Example Sentences

In 2008, however, Humboldt election officials discovered that software they used to tally votes had failed to count 197 ballots from one precinct.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

“Libertad, libertad,” shouted hundreds of demonstrators as they faced off against police outside the precinct in Morón, a city of about 70,000 near Cuba’s northeastern coast.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

This process created a rare island of higher ground in what is now the east/south-east section of the temple precinct.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2026

Ultimately, the precinct has the vote totals, and it always matches the total number of voters for that day.

From Slate • Aug. 26, 2025

Joe Baker took me back inside of the precinct building, into a small room.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• district
• neighborhood
• ward