OFFICE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

office

noun

ˈä-fəs

Definition of office

as in department

a large unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization the company's main office is in Atlanta

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in duty

something one must do because of prior agreement one of the chief offices of a friend is to be there in someone's hour of need

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The office floor plan has the kitchen counter next to the dining room, with the dining table extending off of it. — New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026 Instead of Billy bookcases, there’s a gorgeous office—a symphony of cypress surfaces—that Frank Lloyd Wright created for a department-store mogul. — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 The SoftBank investment could hand a win for Anwar, who has staked his tenure on economic growth and development since taking office in 2022. — Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026 The man's identity has not been released, though Anderson said any identification would likely come from the coroner's office. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for office

Recent Examples of Synonyms for office

Noun

To accommodate those patients who’ve been admitted but don’t have a room, the hospital has installed dozens of beds in what was once the emergency department’s waiting room and in adjacent spaces.

— Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
The local police department is conducting a criminal investigation into the events leading up to the collision and the actions of those involved, Kinnan said Wednesday.

— Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of department

Noun

The schools would share the Final Four administrative duties.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026
In each of the future belligerent countries, elite schools would have long regarded it as their duty to instill in their pupils, the officer class in the making, a martial spirit.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of duty

Noun

The Ebola outbreak that began in DR Congo is becoming a continental crisis after authorities initially underestimated its spread, the head of Africa’s public health agency told Semafor as new cases were reported as far afield as Nigeria.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Trump could direct federal agencies to adopt a different name for the Atlantic or Pacific.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of agency

Noun

Rushing went through a learning curve juggling his defensive and offensive responsibilities, and navigating intense online scrutiny of his outbursts on the field and in the dugout.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Enroll your baby before the clock runs out Ensuring your newborn has health coverage is one of the first paperwork responsibilities that parents face in the whirlwind of bringing a baby home.

— Stephanie O'Neill, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of responsibility

Noun

The president fired James Comey as FBI director in May 2017 as the bureau was investigating ties between Russia and the Republican’s successful 2016 campaign for the White House.

— Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Over and over for years these probes would continue, burning through the resources of five bureaus to turn up exactly the same information in every report.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of bureau

Noun

Such a decision can affect production scheduling, inventory needs, employee activities and customers’ obligations.

— Ramachander Rao Thallada, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Anthropic's off-balance-sheet obligations are similarly large.

— Ashley Capoot,Jordan Novet,Annie Palmer,Lora Kolodny,Kai Nicol-Schwarz,Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of obligation

Noun

Whereas most modern pinball designs start at the CAD desk, the upcoming Pinball Construction Set keeps the process entirely within a browser.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
That demand has helped transform equity desks at the Big Three from cyclical, transactional businesses into more durable, high-margin lending engines, Wall Street executives say.

— Hugh Son, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of desk

Noun

Start with the community With a pragmatic and fair approach, data center infrastructure can operate from a combination of baseload fuels, battery storage, and renewables, while prioritizing community needs and impacts.

— Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Rather than as a one-time session, our survivorship clinic builds relationships with survivors, supporting them as their needs change over time.

— Marci Lee Nilsen, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of need

Cite this Entry

Style

“Office.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/office. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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noun

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