Meaning of office in English:

office

noun

1A room, set of rooms, or building used as a place for commercial, professional, or bureaucratic work.
as modifier ‘an office job’
- ‘These pesticides are used in schools, churches, business offices, apartment buildings, grocery stores, and homes on a regular basis.’
- ‘The plan is to retain the office building and sub-divide it into offices for small businesses and meeting rooms.’
- ‘She hopped into the truck and backed it into the hangar-like room of the office building.’
- ‘The office building on the site would be refurbished to include business suites, meetings rooms and secretarial services.’
- ‘Although the father works as night watchman of an office building, he has no job security.’
- ‘They did everything from small remodel jobs to building small office complexes.’
- ‘Gillian finds it a juggling act fitting her duties around her demanding job an office manager but believes it is worth it.’
- ‘As difficult as the artist's life is, and as infrequent as the pay checks can sometimes be, I'll take it over the office job any day.’
- ‘Inside the interior had the appearance of a normal office building, it's employees decked out in simple black suits.’
- ‘You can go back to work after about six weeks if you have an office job.’
- ‘The new building will contain administration offices and meeting rooms and will cost approximately 2 million baht.’
- ‘Most of the office space that appears on the market in the second half is also in the suburbs of Sofia.’
- ‘Now she is not too sure if she wants to return to her office job.’
- ‘My father didn't make enough money at his office job so he had to take on a bunch of odd ones throughout the rest of the day.’
- ‘He was subsequently ordered to leave the building and did not appear in the office on Saturday.’
- ‘Everyone seems to just want an office job, something nice and easy nowadays.’
- ‘The oldest engineering company in Colchester is selling off half its office space but jobs won't be lost.’
- ‘Now she has totally abandoned her dream of becoming a film star and taken a job as an office clerk.’
- ‘She then took an office job to help her get by while she wrote short stories, novels and poems.’
- ‘The men handle cash crops if there are any, and may have jobs fishing or building, or in offices in the cities.’
- ‘The concept is that the salespeople identify local doctor's offices and businesses that cater to similar clientele.’
- ‘He used the office intercom to order coffee and biscuits for five.’
place of business, place of work, workplace, workroom, studio
View synonyms
1. 1.1The local centre of a large business.
  ‘a company which has four US and four European offices’
  ‘Claimants will be forced to use call centres instead of local offices.’
  ‘This is me, on my way to their head office and the call centres so I can do away with the lot of them.’
  ‘We need to modernise the Post Office - to give it new business so local offices stay open.’
  ‘You can find out details of your local Citizens Advice Bureau by using the website's online directory or by looking up its local offices in your telephone directory.’
  ‘We have 29 offices plus the telebetting centre.’
  ‘Forms are available from health boards and citizen information centre offices nationwide.’
  ‘Anticipating a proliferation of internal processing people, he hired business managers for each of his four offices.’
  ‘GT Group is a local exchange carrier with offices throughout Canada.’
  ‘Today both companies are concentrating on the local branch offices of large corporations as their hot sales prospects.’
  ‘He said the company had adopted a policy of employing locals to work in the branch offices to help boost local employment levels.’
  ‘Does the business have regional offices extending out from the headquarters that will require a wide area network to connect them?’
  ‘It is also winning business from multinationals that often want small local offices but do not want to commit to long term leases.’
  ‘It urged them to contact local offices for expert advice in dealing with the current problems.’
  ‘Following five successful years in Redcliffe and Bristol, the telemarketing company is opening offices at Greenways Business Park.’
  ‘I've been here ever since to oversee the operations with some of our folks out of our Washington office.’
  ‘Xue's office, the biggest among the 22 local offices, has dealt with over 80,000 notarization cases this year.’
  ‘The Council now had new civic offices in Dungarvan and local offices in Tramore and Lismore as well as the regional roads design office in Tramore.’
  ‘The insurance giant has said it may be expanding operations at its Witham offices bringing more jobs to the town.’
  ‘He tells her that he just started a new job with Outward Bound, which opened an office in this building.’
  ‘Bosses announced the company was consolidating three offices into a new building on the Turnpike Business Park.’
  branch, division, section, bureau, department
  View synonyms
2. 1.2A room, department, or building used to provide a particular service.
  ‘a ticket office’
  ‘a Post Office’
  ‘The dole office should provide a form that unemployed people could get stamped to say where they were looking for work.’
  ‘The local tourist offices sell day tickets or contact the Glasgow Angling Centre.’
  ‘The jobs are also passed on to local employment offices where they are either filled or advertised.’
  ‘It has information on flights, ferries, local tourist offices and travelling in France.’
  ‘Free copies are available from the six parks, Hounslow Civic Centre, Tourist Information offices and local libraries.’
  ‘Before Sept.11, consular offices or embassies could issue most visas after a routine check.’
  ‘In the year 2000 the Department of State considered some 10 million visa applications at some 200 consular offices.’
  ‘At the same time, government officials say the system is becoming easier to manage as schools and consular offices become familiar with the procedures.’
  ‘Figures on how many had voted were not available as many Americans would have cast their ballot through their home-state election offices, said the consulate.’
  ‘Luthi has served in various positions in Swiss diplomatic and consular offices.’
  ‘They not only have the law to answer to, but the Hackney Carriage Licensing Authority and the taxi office from which they work.’
  ‘Though under the command of the Ministry of Justice, notary public offices are social public agencies providing legal services.’
  ‘He said that existing community care offices in each county would remain and a lot of the services and the people delivering them would remain as they are.’
  ‘Walk with friends or in a group or call your community service offices for an escort.’
  ‘Driving students wait for their tests to be conducted at the Licensing office in San Fernando yesterday.’
  ‘Why not call your base family advocacy or family services offices.’
  ‘Medical and counseling offices are filled with clergy who attempted self-care renewal by themselves.’
  ‘Contact your local tourist office or Burns Society for events closer to home.’
  ‘In the Reading area six sub-post offices have been closed, with another one under threat.’
  ‘The decision to close seven sub-post offices in York sparked outrage when the plans were announced last year.’
3. 1.3North American The consulting room of a professional person.
  ‘a patient walks in to a doctor's office’
  ‘We have visited professors' offices one by one, and announced the event in our classes.’
  ‘For example, in the LEEP environment, students cannot meet for coffee after class or drop into their professors' offices unannounced.’
  ‘I spent many hours in professors' offices, tutorials, and reading groups.’
  ‘The hall was lined with doors, and he walked down to the end, where the professors' offices were.’
  ‘It needs to be performed at the dental office under professional supervision.’
  ‘So how many psychiatrist's offices did Franken burglarize last week?’
  ‘The little hallway contains many doors, all leading into psychiatrist's offices.’
  ‘She was slight and the seat felt like an oversized chair that you'd find in a psychiatrists office.’
  ‘In the psychiatrists office I sit by the wall and think about melting a lot.’
  ‘Then both went into the deans office to discuss the conduct of her children.’
  ‘They had pledged to show up at the prosecutor's office on Thursday.’
  ‘We walked to the doctor's office in the next building and left the note on his desk.’
  ‘Last week, five students occupied the principal's office for a week.’
  ‘Doctors' offices no longer held hard copy medical files, they were now held on computers.’
  ‘The wait in the doctor's office was ridiculously long.’
  ‘We first met at his attorney's office in August.’
  ‘The deans' offices at local schools can point you to nearby assistance.’
2A position of authority or service, typically one of a public nature.
‘the office of chief constable’
- ‘She joined the civil service in Dublin in 1980 and was appointed to the office of Public works.’
- ‘The disappointment in the cases may be due to a misconception about the office and authority of the President.’
- ‘The only real help here is for bishops to grasp the true nature of their office and live it out.’
- ‘Now partly that has to do with the changing nature of the office of the Attorney-General.’
- ‘I say this with the authority of my office as president of Sinn Féin.’
- ‘For the first time in the history of Zambia's politics, we have seen more women appointed in top Government positions and executive offices in statutory bodies and parastatals.’
- ‘State offices gave them the authority to compel peasants and artisans to surrender the resources of the province.’
- ‘He has held many offices in professional organizations.’
- ‘Before Japan, I would have tried to define the office of a professor in negative terms.’
- ‘It was transferred as a request out of my office as Acting Prime Minister.’
- ‘But I have to say that the Office of the Commissioner for Children has not helped.’
- ‘Essentially, the role of the Office of the President in Ireland is to be one of these checks along with the Judiciary.’
- ‘Traditionally, when a man holds a religious office, or becomes a grandfather, he grows a beard.’
- ‘Four colonies had established churches but did not exclude clergy from political office.’
- ‘How did contemporaries explain the decision to exclude clergy from political office?’
- ‘The hierarchy of religious officialdom has its pinnacle in the Vatican and the office of Pope.’
- ‘She now holds the office of High Sheriff of Lancashire.’
- ‘I never knew how much the office of "farm wife" entailed until our farm's wife disappeared into the wilds of Italy for two and a half weeks.’
- ‘He was welcome in the office of the chairman and the studio of the artist and his opinion was valued in both situations.’
- ‘This bill includes a provision for establishing the office of Chief Coroner.’
post, position, appointment, job, day job, occupation, role, place, situation, station, function, capacity
View synonyms
1. 2.1mass noun Tenure of an official position, especially that of a Minister of State or of the party forming the government.
  ‘a year ago, when the President took office’
  ‘he was ejected from office in 1988’
  ‘This wave of resistance swept social democratic parties back into office throughout Europe.’
  ‘In that year, the Conservatives took office in Ontario under Premier Mike Harris.’
  ‘The governments that took office in post-war western Europe faced a series of challenges.’
  ‘This was the first trip abroad of the new prime minister since he took office in the summer.’
  ‘The thrust of the question was to see whether there had been any precedent before this Government took office.’
  ‘When this Government took office in 1999 we made a promise to run the economy in a responsible way.’
  ‘Almost the first act of the Tory council that took office in May was to stop the rebuilding of Barnet football ground.’
  ‘The first Labour government took office in January amid high hopes from its supporters.’
  ‘When the Conservative party returned to office in 1951 it accepted many of them.’
  ‘He asked what was the total growth in Government revenue since the Labour Party came to office.’
  ‘In the British political system a prime minister holds office so long as he or she maintains the confidence of his or her own MPs and cabinet.’
  ‘British prime ministers lose office either because they lose a general election or because their party removes them.’
  ‘Their strategy is to tough it out over the next couple of years and hope the Labour Party wins office at the next election.’
  ‘Some of us have held office in the Labour Party or been Labour candidates.’
  ‘The Democrat started his second term of office with the Republican Party having a majority in both houses.’
  ‘Hope, when the left and social democrat parties were swept to office only a few short years ago, has turned to despair.’
  ‘They did so as a shock election result in Spain removed from office the Tory Popular Party of Aznar.’
  ‘After an interim administration, the new president took office this past October.’
  ‘Has anyone else noticed that the Prime Minister has gained about 20 pounds since he took office?’
  ‘We should not be passing laws that are simply aimed at trying to give the Labour Party another term in office.’
2. 2.2The quarters, staff, or collective authority of a particular government department or agency.
  ‘the Foreign Office’
  ‘The Laois Youth Theatre is an initiative of the Arts Office, Laois County Council.’
  ‘This was reprinted with kind permission of the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.’
  ‘The performance is promoted by the Arts Office of Laois County Council.’
  ‘He is Institutional Affairs Attaché at the Quebec Government Office in London.’
  ‘Last year saw the Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector established.’
  ‘Colleagues in the Office for National Statistics struck on Tuesday.’
  ‘The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights evolved from the Office for Free Elections.’
  ‘The data are collated by the Office for National Statistics.’
  ‘Nóirín praised the Arts Office under the leadership of Muireann Ní Chonaill.’
  ‘She is Crown Counsel with the Office of Prosecutions in Tasmania.’
  ‘She is the Chair of the Review Board of the Office of Film and Literature Classification.’
  ‘The director of the Office of Film and Literature Classification is Des Clark.’
  ‘The matter was referred by the Office of Public Works to Waterways Ireland.’
  ‘In February 1948 he was appointed to the Films Division of the Central Office of Information.’
  ‘At the start of the war in 1939, Eichmann worked in the Office for Jewish Emigration.’
  ‘It is administered by the Office of Harmonization in the Internal Market, based in Spain.’
  ‘The General Accounting Office will make the final determination in a few weeks.’
  ‘Anyone interested are asked to contact Laois County Council Sports Office in Portlaoise.’
  ‘The Office of Small Business will be transferred to the new Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Resources.’
  ‘The departments of the Executive office are meant to provide the president with speedy and simple responses to questions asked to it.’
3usually officesA service done for another or others.
‘rescued through the good offices of the Italian Ambassador, he was returned safely to England’
assistance, help, aid, services, intervention, intercession, mediation, intermediation, agency, support, backing, patronage, aegis, auspices, advocacy
View synonyms
1. 3.1dated A duty attaching to one's position.
  ‘the offices of a nurse’
  chore, duty, job, task, obligation, assignment, service, responsibility, charge, commission
  View synonyms
4
(also Divine Office)
Christian Church
The series of services of prayers and psalms said (or chanted) daily by Catholic priests, members of religious orders, and other clergy.
- ‘The Divine Office has always been faithfully kept by lay people - not just clergy, monks and nuns-for centuries.’
- ‘Though she loved the Divine Office and appreciated the Chant, she could not sing two notes in tune.’
- ‘It is not a virtue for the monk… to lack time in which to attend the common recitation of the Divine Office, read a certain amount, and mix with his community.’
- ‘Latin hymns are sung at the Divine Office, and are assigned to different liturgical occasions, according to time of day, season of the year, or Holy Day.’
- ‘When polyphonic motets were intended to replace Gregorian chants in the Mass or Divine Office, they generally reproduce their texts exactly.’
1. 4.1A service conducted daily as part of the office.
  ‘the noon office’
  ‘His book is designed for up to four daily offices (morning, noon, evening and night).’
  ‘Chapters 3 and 4 treat Evening Prayer as a counter to Morning Prayer and the minor offices as occasional rather than daily prayer.’
  ‘A few days after reading this report I opened my Bible to read the lesson for the daily office.’
  ‘The seven daily offices punctuate a way of life regulated by prayer, while the passing of the seasons marks time.’
  ‘The Prayer Book contained morning and evening offices, and forms for the administration of the sacraments as well as the psalter.’
5officesBritish dated The parts of a house given over to household work or to storage.
1. 5.1usually usual officeseuphemistic A toilet.

Origin

Middle English via Old French from Latin officium ‘performance of a task’ (in medieval Latin also ‘office, divine service’), based on opus ‘work’ + facere ‘do’.

Pronunciation

office

/ˈɒfɪs/

Word of the Day

onesie

noun

Learning English? Explore These English Word Lists

The Most Common Questions About The English Language