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office
[ aw-fis, of-is ]
noun
- 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.
- a room assigned to a specific person or a group of persons in a commercial or industrial organization:
Her office is next to mine.
- a business or professional organization:
He went to work in an architect's office.
- the staff or designated part of a staff at a commercial or industrial organization:
The whole office was at his wedding.
- 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: , , ,
- employment or position as an official:
to seek office.
- the duty, function, or part of a particular person or agency:
to act in the office of adviser.
Synonyms: , ,
- (initial capital letter) an operating agency or division of certain departments of the U.S. Government:
Office of Community Services.
- (initial capital letter) British. a major administrative unit or department of the national government:
the Foreign Office.
- Slang. hint, signal, or warning; high sign.
- Often offices. something, whether good or bad, done or said for or to another:
He obtained a position through the offices of a friend.
- Ecclesiastical.
- the prescribed order or form for a service of the church or for devotional use.
- the services so prescribed.
- Also called divine office. the prayers, readings from Scripture, and psalms that must be recited every day by all who are in major orders.
- a ceremony or rite, especially for the dead.
- a service or task to be performed; assignment; chore:
little domestic offices.
Synonyms: ,
- offices, Chiefly British.
- the parts of a house, as the kitchen, pantry, or laundry, devoted mainly to household work.
- the stables, barns, cowhouses, etc., of a farm.
- Older Slang. privy.
office
/ ˈɒɪ /
noun
- a room or set of rooms in which business, professional duties, clerical work, etc, are carried out
- ( as modifier )
an office boy
office furniture
- often plural the building or buildings in which the work of an organization, such as a business or government department, is carried out
- a commercial or professional business
the architect's office approved the plans
- the group of persons working in an office
it was a happy office until she came
- capital when part of a name (in Britain) a department of the national government
the Home Office
- capital when part of a name in the US
- a governmental agency, esp of the Federal government
- a subdivision of such an agency or of a department
Office of Science and Technology
- a position of trust, responsibility, or duty, esp in a government or organization
to seek office
the office of president
- ( in combination )
an office-holder
- duty or function
the office of an administrator
- often plural a minor task or service
domestic offices
- often plural an action performed for another, usually a beneficial action
through his good offices
- a place where tickets, information, etc, can be obtained
a ticket office
- Christianity
- often plural a ceremony or service, prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities, esp one for the dead
- the order or form of these
- RC Church the official daily service
- short for divine office
- plural the parts of a house or estate where work is done, goods are stored, etc
- euphemistic.usually plural a lavatory (esp in the phrase usual offices )
- in office(of a government) in power
- out of office(of a government) out of power
- the office slang.a hint or signal
Other Word Forms
- Ǵf· adjective
- dzܳoЭ noun
- ܲ·Ǵf noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of office1
Idioms and Phrases
see box office ; front office ; land-office business ; take office .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Partly it's because it has been so long - 20 years - since a pope has died in office.
“Most of these cases were declined for evidentiary reasons or due to a university’s failure or inability to assist in identification or other information needed for prosecution,” the statement from her office reads.
It’s unclear whether the case has been turned over to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, which has the final say on filing criminal charges.
Government ministries, banks and office blocks stand blackened and burned, while the museum – a symbol of the nation's proud history and culture – has been particularly hard hit.
Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor of the UC Berkeley communications and public affairs office, issued a statement that said the school has already been in contact with federal authorities about the issue.
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More About Office
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.
Where does office come from?
The first records of the word office come from around 1200. It ultimately comes from the Latin officium, meaning “service” or “duty,” made from combining opus, meaning “work,” and facere, meaning “to do.” The word office often refers to the place where you work or the duties you are responsible for as part of your work.
Office is a common word that some people are unhappy to hear because it reminds them of their job. Middle management jobs are often referred to as “office jobs” because you usually have your own office or you work in a cubicle in your company’s office.
These jobs in particular are often depicted in popular culture as being especially boring and bureaucratic. The word office has been used in popular works that humorously depict such jobs, like the comedy film Office Space (1999) and the both the British version of the comedy TV series “The Office” (1995) and the American version (2001).
Did you know … ?
are some other forms related to office?
- officeless (adjective)
- outoffice (noun)
- suboffice (noun)
are some synonyms for office?
are some words that share a root or word element with office?
are some words that often get used in discussing office?
How is office used in real life?
Office is a very common word that is often used to describe a person’s job or workplace.
My office is a mess because I'm building a cocoon of candy wrappers around me. Then I'll sleep for weeks and emerge as a beautiful butterfly! I'm pretty sure this will work.
— 🤐 (@ZipperMouth_)
if you work in an office with other people and do not wear shoes i cannot trust you
— Sun Destroyer 999 (@bombsfall)
It’s Halloween dress up day at work. I’ll be in my office dressed like a guy sitting in his office.
— Joe Mayberry (@jgolf1)
Try using office!
True or False?
The word office can refer to an entire building where a company performs business and to a single room where one specific employee works.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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